Identity's Past
by AlterEthereal
Summary: rating just to be safe. Syaoran returned to find his princess, but discovered she has been missing in action for years. Now a mysterious, distant girl has arrived in the city... could Sakura be right under his nose? Finished!
1. Prologue

Identity's Past

by AlterEthereal

Syaoran returned to find his princess, but discovered she has been missing in action for years.  Now a mysterious, distant girl has arrived in the city... could his princess be right under his nose?

Good morning/afternoon/evening.  You have (either accidentally or intentionally) stumbled into my dream fic!  'What is a dream fic?' you might ask.  Well, this entire story was written from a dream I recently had.  It kinda haunted me around school ("let's see... 2 sin x plus... Syaoran... .5 minus the square root of... Sakura... aw damnit..." until I finally decided to write it down.  It came out surprisingly well (as I hope you will agree when you are finished reading)!!

Also, about Li's name.  I have changed it!!!  Some say that his first name is "Syaoran" and his last name is "Li," while others insist on it being the reverse.  After much deliberation, I have decided upon the former (Bob Smith - Syaoran Li), therefore, that is the way I will refer to him.  So, for all whom have read this once over and find it different, this is the way it was _meant_ to be.  ^_^

Alter-chan:  so, how 'bout we get this disclaimer over with?

So:  don't look at me...

Anaru:  *_hides behind So_* ...

Alter-chan:  -_-; *_looks at Zuri pleadingly_*

Zuri:  well... *_Alter-chan bats eyelashes_* alright then.

Alter-chan:  yay!

Zuri:  Card Captor Sakura is in every way the property of Kaya Hoshiak-- *_is stopped abruptly by Alter-chan, who claps a hand over Zuri's mouth_*

Alter-chan:  if you want something done right, guess you have to do it yourself.  *_sighs_* DISCLAIMER:  I do NOT own CCS or any characters thereforth related.  thank you.

~~~~~

Chapter One:  Prologue

~~~~

"That's it!"  She yelled from a distance, her face becoming even more stern.

The battlefield was neatly laid out, or at least it warped to such after their mighty forces had collided.  Between them was a barren wasteland.  Almost nothing had survived the blow dealt by her Star Cards, yet her enemy still seemed unfazed.

She grinned with unusual malice, and with a voice so calm it was almost a whisper, added, "Now I'll tell you how much power you can handle."

She thrust an arm toward the sky, her hand grasping a thin deck of pink cards.  In less than a moment, wind blew from every direction, lightning struck invisible clouds, and thunder sounded directly overhead.  The cards she held suddenly materialized into creatures of every nature and element, rushing and surrounding the enemy with supernatural speed.  In but five seconds, a massive explosion raged, engulfing both parties in billows of dust and light.  The prism dazzled each color what must've been a million times before the light faded, and in it's wake lay an abyss, wide and crimson, sinking, yet enveloping; closing as quickly as it appeared.  In the waste around the former pit, nothing is seen to have survived.  One lonely card lay on the smoky dirt; the only one the attacker had not summoned against her opponent:  The Hope.

~*~

In all the years it had so far existed, Sakura hadn't once used that card.  Now she may never use it at all.  Out of all the cards she had, and all the cards she had created, that one was most special to her.  In Syaoran's absence, she had become as strong and skilled as she could, hoping to one day see him again and match his dexterity.  That card was her driving force, a reminder of the day he left for Hong Kong.

That place seemed so far away.

Within the first few days, she had tried everything she knew to free herself from her dark prison, a mass of earthy caves and endless corridors which she could swear ran forever.  She had given up uncharacteristically early; it seemed that without the Hope Card, she had no motivation.

Alone as she was, the place was not lifeless.  Small creatures vaguely resembling dinosaurs roamed around the caves where there was water, seldom paying any heed to her.  She too had become quite tame, the only really big shock coming when she learned of human life in the tunnels.  That was about half a year after she had fallen, into the abyss and a depression that seemed to hang over her head like rain clouds she hadn't glimpsed in years.  She kept a tally of the days in her mind, using her sorcery to aid her as possibilities arose.

In reality, it was her Star Cards that kept her alive.  Without them, she wouldn't have lasted a week in the caves before succumbing to the loneliness of her situation.  In merely a month, her emotions had generated a new card:  The Lonely.  She cherished the new card as her child, just as she did all her others, though secretly she found it pathetic that her heart was so fragile and weak.  She was close to ending it all for herself, but her responsibility to the cards kept her going, however painfully.

An old tendency of the city led to her eventual discovery.  Every so often, she would stop her continuous exploration of the corridors to bathe.  The lakes were cool and clean, which she preferred to see as "empty."  She carried that feeling through every cave in which she traveled, and to keep it from overwhelming her, she took up a habit of singing and humming.

Her songs journeyed through the light air, picking up listeners as she went.  These listeners usually consisted of the dinosaur- and crab-like animals whose hearing skills had become acute from possibly eons of sounds perceived only by Sakura as silence.

As time passed, however, she obtained another listener:  a human boy.  At first he barely heard it, but each time she sang, it grew louder until he could no longer dismiss it as a hallucination.  So, in the absence of an explanation, he undertook a journey of his own to find the sound he seeked.

He found his answer waist deep in a small lake, not far from his typical grounds.  Her hair was a lustrous auburn, not quite long enough to brush the surface of the water, where her fair and pallid skin made ripples in the lake.  Eyes transfixed on the stranger, he leaned against the wall of the cave, folding his arms and making as little noise as possible so as not to disturb her.

The tune was lark and simple, but the clarity of her voice and the echoes of the cave walls were a symphony to his ears.  Suddenly his cold cheeks blushed and he turned away, realizing his stares would probably be unwelcome if she were aware of his presence.  He began to leave, taking in one last, side-long glance at the figure in the water.  The stern expression which seemed to accompany him wherever he went faded into a smile for a moment, and then he was gone.

Sakura ascended to the land after a little while, being satisfied with her hygiene.  She retrieved her clothes from their place on the ground and began dressing:  a white, halter-necked bodysuit tied in bows, covered by an azure cape reaching near to the ground.  Clean-looking, white socks followed, as did thigh-high boots of the same hue as the cape.  She always had worn cool costumes.  She sighed as the realization came to her that they weren't necessary any longer, as there was no one in the caves whom she cared to impress.  Tightening her waist strap, she neatly tucked the deck of pink cards to her side, then let the cape fall loose.  A small, key-like pendant hung around her neck, never having been taken off.  She took a quick look around the cave, and made her exit.

"Aaaahh!" She cried, upon finding the limp figure sitting just outside.  It was no dinosaur or crab--but a boy, looking about her age.  He seemed to be sleeping.

Or he had been.

His eyes fluttered slightly, and they gradually opened, revealing bright sapphire eyes.  They turned toward her abruptly, and what color had been present in his complexion immediately disappeared.

The two were petrified for a few moments, Sakura wondering how long he had been there and whether or not he had peeked into the cave, and the boy wondering how he could've fallen asleep when he only intended to sit and listen for a few minutes.  Eventually, Sakura got up the nerve to communicate.

"Um… would you mind telling me who you are and where you come from?"

Her voice seemed to snap him out of a delusion, but still he said nothing.  Instead he rose slowly, his normal expression darkening his face once again.   Motioning with his hand for her to follow him, he turned his back to her and began walking.

"Aren't you going to answer me?" She yelled, not moving.

Once again, there was no response, or even an acknowledgment.  Sakura sighed, and almost unconsciously began taking steps in his direction.  The corridors were maze-like; if she lost track of him, she may never find him again.  And silent company was better than no company.

~~~~~

Alter-chan:  well there you have it folks.  Sakura is stranded in some weird underground cave place and has no way out, with her only company being her cards and some mysterious blue-eyed boy who refuses to speak for some *unknown* reason.

So, Anaru, and Zuri: *_snore_*

Alter-chan: *_sweatdrops_* um... anyway, please review.  and in case anyone was wondering, Syaoran makes his grand entrance next chapter.

~AlterEthereal


	2. Humanity

Identity's Past

by AlterEthereal

Syaoran returned to find his princess, but discovered she has been missing in action for years.  Now, a mysterious, distant girl has arrived in the city... could his princess be right under his nose?

Alter-chan:  hey there guys!  thanx to all those who reviewed!  i appreciate it loads!

Zuri:  haha... you mean someone actually read it?

Alter-chan: *_puffs out chest proudly_* why, yes, as a matter of fact.

Anaru: *_hands some money to So, who is smirking devilishly_* damn...

So: *_raspberries at Anaru_*

Alter-chan:  so um... has anybody seen Leif or Althea?

Zuri:  Althea's probably either trying to kill him or kiss him... she's unpredictable. *_everyone thinks for a second_*  WHOA WAIT!!!  WHAT AM I SAYING?!?!  *_runs off to find/rescue Leif_*

everyone else: *_laughs hysterically_*

Alter-chan: *_dries eyes with random hankerchief_* ahhh... anyway,  DISCLAIMER:  i don't own CCS... owning AlterEthereal is quite enough for me.

~~~~

Chapter Two:  Humanity

~~~~

She wasn't sure how long they traveled.  Within several hours, however, the corridors became lit with crude light bulbs, and she began to hear vague voices.  But try as she might, she couldn't discern what they were saying, even as they made their way less than 20 meters from the village, or what she guessed to be a village.

She was welcomed into her new surroundings readily, although she stuck out tremendously.  All the people wore simple, dull-colored outfits and were extremely pale.  She wondered to herself how they functioned:  What did they eat?  How did they make their clothing?  How did they live without any source of natural light?  After all, without sunlight, few plants could grow.

The confused newcomer would soon find the reason for the apparent lack of communication:  they spoke different languages.

Sakura would eventually learn their speech and amaze them with her knowledge of modern technology, as well as her magic.  The food that the villagers did eat mainly consisted of hunted meat and a few vegetables grown on patches of soil near a large lake in the cave.  She wasn't exactly delighted with the presented menu, so she opted for the sweet fruits provided by The Wood card.  After just 2 ½ years in the village, she had become fluent in their language, accustomed to their ways, and had introduced the village to things they had never imagined.

Sakura would live in the caves for four and a half years.

The event that marked her departure came when she met a tall, old man in brightly colored robes and a white beard hanging down to his ankles while wandering the caves in search of hunt for the village.  Just as hospitality was offered to her, she offered hospitality to him, but soon discovered that they had something in common other than the shade of their clothing.

"You… you speak my language!"  She exclaimed, turning around suddenly.  She had been escorting the stranger through the corridors silently, just as she had been subject to four years earlier, when he began speaking in an oddly familiar tongue.  They conversed for quite some time until the man asked her where she was originally from.  She replied reluctantly, but upon her confession, he assured her that he knew of a way to take her home.

At first, she was surprised; then it morphed into disbelief.  After much persuasion and explanation, however, she was at least partially convinced of his claims.  She shared her potential departure with no one, afraid that because of all she had accomplished in the village that she wouldn't be permitted to leave.  The last thing she wanted was to be held prisoner.  She also didn't want to leave with no warning.  She resolved to break the news to the one person she was absolutely sure wouldn't prosecute her.

His sapphire eyes glinted for a moment, then all brightness seemed to vanish in them.  Sakura had discovered that before her arrival, he rarely socialized.  He had always been rather distant, seemingly either angry or depressed all the time.  She alone knew of his origins, which also lay elsewhere.  He was found as an infant near the body of his mother, who had died of starvation.  Without his mother, he, too, would've died if his cries weren't heard by the village.  The gradual discovery of his past had made him coarse--she had somehow managed to melt the ice in his soul, yet now, she feared it would harden again.

He wasn't angry; instead, he calmly smiled, though there was something different about his smile, something that Sakura hadn't seen in three years.  He asked with an icy tone if he could help, to which she readily suggested his company.  The boy was shocked for a few moments, then, with a warmer voice, declined her request.  There was one major difference between their situations:  She had the opportunity to return home; to him, the village was home.  And yet, it was comforting to know that he was staying of his own accord.  She didn't want to leave him behind, and that was satisfying enough.  She inspired in him the hope that one day they'd meet again.

The plan was executed simply, first with the sapphire-eyed boy spreading the rumor of Sakura's departure.  When questioned, the girl would nervously dismiss the topic and comment on something else.  The robed man waited in a nearby corridor… until the day finally came and she said her farewells, mostly to the boy with the sapphire eyes whom she discreetly feared she had grown to love.

Sakura had become more homesick with every day that passed between her first encounter with the bearded man and her embarkment.  The anticipation that built up inside her was almost unbearable.  Just the thought of seeing her friends and family again made her bounce off the walls in excitement.  When the lights went out, she pictured vividly what everyone would look like and the first things she'd do when she finally stepped inside city limits.  The first thing she thought of was to find The Hope card.  Somewhere near there was to find Madison's clothing store and buy everything she possibly could.  And above those and more, at the very top, was to chart a plane to Hong Kong.

What she didn't expect were the conditions she met upon the time of her outset.

"Your cards," the old man stated plainly.  "You must give them to me."

"What?"  She half-exclaimed, a little bit confused.  "Why would I give my Star Cards to you?"

"Because you want to get back to our world and I want to use the Cards as my own."  His answer was frank and seemed almost compulsory to Sakura, who just stared in shock as her brain registered the demand.  Now his voice began to seem familiar to her, but she couldn't recognize the source.

"But… I could never…!" she trailed off.

"Oh, but you will, or you will never get home."

All of Sakura's dreams flashed before her and the realization sank in with a thud that he had planned to make her good and homesick then start naming conditions.  The problem was, it was working.  She hesitantly reached beneath her cape and undid her waist strap, extracting the pink cards.  She sifted through them one by one, as if contemplating each in turn.  When she had finished, she bit her lip and slowly felt her hand approach his outstretched palm.

"Very good.  And the wand."

Taking a slightly frightened step back, she clutched the pendant around her neck.  The man held out his other hand expectantly, as if knowing that she would give in to the sickness.  Accurately, she slid her free hand behind her head and gently pulled the necklace off of her head.  A part of her remembered Syaoran and how he'd somehow find a way to take the advantage in this situation, and how he'd tell her what an idiot she was for letting herself be manipulated like this.  The other part, however, remembered how she would never get to hear his voice again at all if she didn't satisfy the man's demands.  Suddenly, a surge of hope flooded her, and she felt everything would turn out fine; that she needed to trust herself and do what needed to be done, even if she'd have to face difficult situations in the future.  Her heart became strong and she calmly handed over the key to the Star Cards.

"You had better intend to carry out our deal," she warned with a face of stone.

"I do indeed.  I have one final condition for you."

Sakura stood, undaunted.  A vast pool of light surrounded them, and the symbols which she knew so well became visible on the ground below.  They were ascending, accelerating as they went.  She eventually became aware that there was no ceiling to break through, but a sky of endless black, spiraling upward toward what at first seemed like a small red speck.  Soon, however, they gained the speed to view the crimson hole, getting ever closer and larger as their velocity increased.  It felt like they shunned mach 1, and that now they proceeded at all but the speed of light, which she was sure they'd reach eventually at the current rate of acceleration.  Sure enough, the hole soon became a bullet, fired inches away from her face. The prism dazzled each color what must've been a million times before the light faded.

~*~

The moon shone with exceptional brilliance that night.  Syaoran couldn't help but stare, settling among the tree roots with only the cicadas piercing the silence.  It all seemed so tranquil--so different from the factory in the city.  He absolutely refused to go inside it, or even near it, for that matter.  If need be, he retaliated against those who attempted to use force to get him inside.  He was resolved to never enter the wretched place, or die trying, an opportunity which had presented itself on several occasions.

Now he had escaped from the city into his own anxieties, as he usually did, thoughts often drifting to questions such as "Why did I ever decide to come back here?"

The answer to this question was out of date, but simple:  Sakura.  After his mother died, the Li children had parted ways.  The four girls all dispatched to America, while Syaoran, the only Li son, retired to the city, hoping to attend to that unfinished business.  He broke his gaze momentarily to glance toward his chest, where a large heirloom hung, partially concealed by his leather jacket, depicting the head of a beast resembling a lion accompanied by the sun and the moon.  Inscribed beneath the beast was the phrase "The Clow."  The memories of the time he spent with her were in tact, but largely useless.  Or so he thought.

An oddly familiar pulse suddenly rushed through him, causing him to awaken from his daydream and stand stiffly.  The pulse echoed through his body like his own heartbeat, intoxicating him as it ran through his blood.  It felt warm and embracing, like something from long ago that he trusted as implicitly as his own.  He let it envelop him completely.

~~~~

Alter-chan:  AAAH!!!  BEWARE OF THE RABID CLIFFHANGERS!!!!

So:  what is she yelling about now?

Anaru: *_shrugs_* i dunno.

*_Sophia and Anaru walk off to stare at Anaru's car_*

Zuri: *_coming back with Leif swung over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes_*  oh, did i miss everything already?

Leif:  x_X

Alter-chan:  what happened to him?

Zuri:  we were wrong... she was trying to kill him AND kiss him... and you know how pointless it is to fight with her...

Alter-chan:  well... um... i don't think these people care about that...

Zuri:  oh... well... peace out!  *_does peace sign, dons a headband and tie-dye pants, proceeds to look like a flower-child, still with an unconscious Leif over her shoulder_*

Alter-chan:  sorry 'bout that... anyway, please review, k?  thanx!  ^_^

~AlterEthereal


	3. Stranger

Identity's Past

by AlterEthereal

Syaoran returns to find his princess, but discovers she has been missing in action for years.  Now, a mysterious, distant girl has arrived in the city... could his princess be right under his nose?

Hey people!  This may be the last update for a while... got a lot of stuff going on in school, plus I have a skating competition to get ready for (if I would just stop hurting myself  ¦ \..  ).  Anyway, I'd also like to thank Shichinintai Jakotsu, Star Fighter Heart, and sweet-captor for their reviews!!  They are not overlooked.  I really like hearing from people, even if they think the story sucks and it wasn't worth their time reading it, so please do review!  ^_^

Zuri:  so... here we are again.

Leif: *_has a collar on_* unfortunately, Alter-chan cannot be with us today... she's bandaging all her wounds.

Althea: *_is not attacking Leif_* Kaya's hurt?!

Zuri and Leif: *_spazzing_* um... no, no!  not at all!  she's perfectly fine!!

Althea: *_goes back to her normal, antisocial self_*

Leif:  that was too close...

Zuri:  yeah.. don't want them reassimilating...

*_they both shudder_*

Zuri:  anyway, on with the story.  Leif, would you like to do disclaimer for me?

Leif:  well... *_Zuri bats her eyelashes seductively_* alright then.

Zuri: *_kisses Leif cheek_**_Leif blushes cutely_* thank you!

Leif:  DISCLAIMER:  Kaya/AlterEthereal does not own CCS or any of it's cast.  thank you.

~~~~

Chapter Three:  Stranger

~~~~

It wasn't until a few minutes later that Syaoran finally realized what must've been happening.  He walked around the area, but found himself wholly alone.  He continued on traveling, however, searching for something he couldn't quite put his finger on.

After covering roughly a mile of meadow, he sighted a lake.  As he approached, he was able to discern a dazzling shade of blue beside a nearby tree.  The color began to stir, and Syaoran halted, asphyxiating his eyes on the figure.  He glimpsed a radiant cinnamon color, and, moving closer, a hint of ivory.  He stood atop a small crag looking down and wondering, his thoughts jumbled and tangled.  A part of him wanted to believe that this was what he had been searching for, but the rest of him was beginning to question his sanity.

Whether he was sane or not, he decided, he would meet whatever was down there with readiness and uncertainty.  He stumbled down the crag, making little noise, but enough for it to acknowledge a presence.  As he walked cautiously toward it, the figure abruptly turned around, revealing slender curves and brilliant, though surprised, viridian eyes.  It was a woman.

He was only slightly taken aback, having deep down expected, possibly knew, to find the presence of another.  Nevertheless he quitted his advance.

They stared at each other from across their distance, questions blazing rapidly in their minds, burning holes in their gazes.  When Syaoran could stand the questions no longer, and was thoroughly convinced she wouldn't take the first step, he resumed his path.

As he warily strode toward her, he took in her appearance.  She wore interesting clothes:  a white leotard tied with a small bow at the neckline, covered by a long, blue cape that left her shoulders bare.  Her legs were covered from her toes up to her thighs by shiny blue boots, with just the slightest hint of elevation at the heels.  Her hair went down to about the middle of her back, resting in reddish-brown waves against the cyanic cape.  She was radiant, in a word, but the thing that struck him most was her complexion.  Her skin was almost white; paler than even the moon, whose light illuminated it even further.

He didn't recognize her, but he had a sense of de ja vu when he dared to look at her face.  Like she had been in a dream of his…

He tried to analyze her expression, but to no avail.  Her eyes refused to tell him anything, staring mutely into his questioning countenance.  For a moment, a spark seemed to form in them, and he almost saw the edge of her rosy lips raise.  But then it disappeared.

"Who are you?"  He asked timidly.

A few moments passed, and she looked up toward the sky and the moon, which seemed to smile in return.  Her cold visage slowly melted away into a more human one.

"Artemis."

~*~

She didn't talk much.

The mysterious stranger merely nodded in reply to most things, only letting her soft voice seep through occasionally.  This was mostly because any time it did she felt ashamed--she had never been one to keep a secret to herself as a child, and she wasn't prepared to start now.  Her voice linked her to her identity, and tormented her in a way.  She wanted to shout her secret from the rooftops and cry to anyone that would listen, but at the same time, couldn't bear to show her emotions.

She avoided the touch--for a touch was a bond, which she would have to break eventually.  Or rather, she would want to break eventually.  She was dramatically antisocial, shunning herself from all aspects of life, even him.

She hadn't expected to confront him, not here and not now.  She was so close to everything that she had dreamed of; opportunity wrapped and enveloped her, and yet she couldn't touch it.  She couldn't even reach out.  What she really wanted was to run to his outstretched arms and deep brown eyes, and to hear his cool, unwavering voice tell her that everything was alright and that she didn't have to pretend anymore.  What she really wanted… why did it matter when she couldn't have it?  But she could, and it was tearing her apart inside.  Every time she sighted him, her arms twitched in attempt not to let them throw themselves around his waiting neck.

And that was only the first few days.  Things got worse.

~*~

She didn't talk much.

Which was fine, since he never had either.  She reminded him of someone, though, someone he hadn't seen in a long while.  He maintained all that he had left of her, tucked in his coat pocket.  The only other who knew of its existence was Madison, who could only sigh in disbelief of Sakura's absence.  She knew of how it was created and related the story as soon as he retrieved it.  Syaoran was more embarrassed than flattered, construed by the red tint his face had acquired.

Knowing this, however, only made him more resolved in the decision that he had made before he came back.  He remembered Meilin's words with a twinge of pain.  She always had known his emotions better than he did.

"You haven't told her yet, have you?  That you love her?"*

No.  He hadn't told her.  He was only a child at the time, not able to even fathom the meaning of such an emotion.  But he had felt it, hadn't he?  Why didn't he tell her before he left?

When he went home to Hong Kong, a piece of him stayed behind with her.  He denied it endlessly, but regardless of what he said, the fact remained that there was an unhealing hole where she had been.  And when she disappeared, it did as well.

It was true, Artemis reminded him of Sakura, but she was far colder and more distant than the girl who had managed to steal away the heart he never knew he had.

The possibility always remained of Artemis being more than just a resemblance, but what did he have to go on?  She was just a woman--no Star Cards, not even a wand.  The only thing he could do was test her, try to provoke a revelation of her identity.

"Follow me."

"Why?"  A standard, one-word inquiry.

"Because," he stated frankly, "I'm asking you to."  He turned his head to look at her with his stony eyes, only to see that hers mimicked his.

She didn't object, but didn't make an effort to keep up, either.  She seemed completely lost and distant, away from everything and everyone else.  And wanting to keep it that way.  In the end, he was forced to stop and wait.  He just stood, not turning around, for fear that she wasn't walking at all, but eventually noted her figure standing at his side.

"I don't want to."

"Wow, more than two syllables.  That's got to be record for you."  He retorted caustically.  Reaching down slightly, he clasped her wrist firmly.  Her skin was as cold as it was pale, and he felt an almost electric charge run though it at the touch.  Holding it, though, her pulse made him feel secure.

He resumed walking.

As he approached a familiar city neighborhood, the passive girl took hold of the situation.  She pulled her wrist from his hand and grasped his instead, and began pulling away from the town.  Syaoran was a bit surprised, but didn't resist.  She silently led him to the gate and into the meadow, where she abruptly released his arm.  She then continued on without him.

He didn't worry about her destination--she'd come back eventually.

~~~~

* I'm not sure these were Meilin's exact words, but they were something along these lines.

~~~~

Alter-chan: *_looks like a mummy_* hey guys!  i've returned from the pit of hell!!

Zuri, Leif, and Althea:  o_O

Alter-chan:  what?

*_Althea drags her off mumbling something in her native tongue_*

Zuri:  well that was...

Leif:  ...interesting...

Zuri:  so… what was it that Syaoran had in his coat pocket?  and where was he trying to take the girl?  who IS the girl?

Leif:  like we don't already know the answer to that last one…

Zuri:  yeah, well…

Leif: *_rolls eyes_*

Zuri:  wanna go get ice cream?

Leif:  sure!

*_Leif and Zuri skip off into the sunset toward the nearest ice cream parlor_*

Alter-chan: *_from the distance, still being dragged off_*  HEY!!  I'LL BE BACK!!!  AGAIN!!  AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!!!!  THANX!!  ^_^

~AlterEthereal


	4. Evasions

Identity's Past

by AlterEthereal

Syaoran returned to find his princess, but discovered she has been missing in action for years.  Now, a mysterious, distant girl has arrived in the city... could his princess be right under his nose?

Well hey there!  I was lucky and managed to work out and edit another chapter before all insanity sank in (actually, I just got hit by a truck-like muse and couldn't stop writing, even if I had to blow off everything else I was supposed to do...).  Anyway, I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed me so far (I LOVE YOU GUYS!)!!!!  I couldn't help but notice that I didn't get any for Ch. 3, though… *_pouts_* So here's the deal:  since I will be leaving for PA soon, unable to update, get like 10 reviews up here and I'll pull some strings and get a 5th chapter up before I go (I've already got the plot in my head… just gotta type it out..).  Yes, this IS a bribe!!  Aren't I sneaky?  ^_^

Alter-chan/Althea:  hi um...

Leif: *_licks ice cream cone_* geez... i saw this one coming from a mile away...

Zuri: *_licks her own ice cream cone_* the sad thing is, we still couldn't prevent it...

So: *_she and Anaru having returned_* where's Ave when you need her?

Anaru:  better go get the butterfly nets...

Zuri:  ...cause we've got a half-dragon, half-etherean deity to catch!!

*_all but the assimilated Alter-chan/Althea run off with butterfly nets to go capture Ave_*

Alter-chan/Althea:  well, while they're gone, at least you reviewers can read in peace... DISCLAIMER:  I only own AlterEthereal, the sapphire-eyed kid, and the creepy old guy in bright robes from the story.  CCS and all its characters belong to CLAMP.  Thank you.

~~~~

Chapter 4:  Evasions

~~~~

Artemis.  Such a pretty name it was.  She wondered to herself when she was alone, which was most of the time, if she should keep it.  She could begin a new life, live it the way she wanted to, without a history of mistakes.

She stared at the lake from her haven beneath the dead oak, daring to return to the town and allow Syaoran to have her company, for whatever it was worth.  She also remembered the time she spent in the caves, and the person who had met her upon waters like these.  Perhaps her life there was better than it would be here.  Remembering Syaoran, she cursed herself for thinking this way.  After everything she'd gone through, and all her anticipations, how could she think that?

She sat with her head on her knees and her knees in her arms for upwards of an hour, before she fell completely asleep, the sun setting quickly over the water and the clouds.

_"Sakura… Sakura, wake up!" she felt her shoulder being shaken lightly by a familiar hand.  She opened her eyes wearily to see two bright, chocolate eyes, seeming to flow over with happiness.  He suddenly pulled her into a tight embrace.  "I knew it!  I knew it was you!"_

_"Wha… What?" thoroughly confused and half-awake, she trailed off._

_He released her slowly and stared into her tired, emerald eyes with a warm smile.  "There's something I've wanted to tell you ever since I left seven years ago."_

_"Syaoran…"_

_"I…"_

~*~

"Artemis… are you…"

"Syaoran…" she mumbled, eyes closed.

_Syaoran?_  The boy suddenly stiffened, and his eyes plastered themselves open in shock.  No one had called him that since he returned from Hong Kong.

"Artemis!  Wake up!" he tried to shake her to consciousness, but without success.  He grunted then pried one of her eyes open, but saw no iris or pupil.  Night had fallen, causing the temperature to drop to unsafe levels, especially for an adolescent girl sleeping in the grass.  He resumed shaking.  "Artemis!"

~*~

_Artemis…such a pretty name it is… wait!  That name belongs to me!_  Her eyes opened quickly and she bolted upright, her head suddenly colliding with someone else's.  Both figures yelped in pain and shock, and the girl embarrassedly realized who sat before her, rubbing his forehead with a slightly anguished expression.

"Oh!  Li!  I'm sorry, are you--" She fumbled, her flustered countenance immediately adopting a reddish tint.

The anguished expression he bore slowly morphed into one of assurance.  "I'm fine.  You have a hard head."

A sigh and smile of relief escaped her, and it soon struck her that it was night.  The cloudless sky was dark and revealed all it's splendors in small, but bright specks of light.  She had never noticed just how many stars there were before, and allowed herself to be sucked into the vacuum of her own contemplations.

Syaoran looked at her questioningly for a few moments, then let his body topple over into the grass beside her.  He folded his hands behind his head, and he too, was still.

They remained as such for a long time, until the pale girl began to shiver unconsciously.

"You're cold."

"No… I'm alright."

"Yes, you are."

"I'm alright?"

"No, you're cold."

"Wait, I'm getting confused."

The boy rose without ease from his dent in the grass and stared defiantly at the creature before him.  "Follow me now."

The creature did not stir, nor respond.  It merely returned the gaze given to it.

"Do I have to carry you?"

"You wouldn't touch me."

He smiled.

"You're right.  You seem to know quite a bit about me for being here all of one week."

After a long pause and quiet stare, the girl reached out and snatched his arm.  Pulling herself up, not surprised in the least by the strength of her lever, she smirked gently.  "There.  Now you won't _have_ to."

Suddenly, yet hesitantly, the boy's arms wrapped around her waist, and she could feel a chill run through her spine at their touch.  She gingerly permitted her hands to drift toward his neck and return the sweet and unexpected embrace.  She rested her chin on his shoulder nervously, at first, but then relaxed, feeling his warm breath on hers.  She felt his soft, satisfied heartbeat against her own pounding one.  Her squeeze became tighter.

_This is what I want.  Arigatou._

_~*~_

The walk back to the city was long and cold.  Artemis followed submissively behind, wearing his coat.  Syaoran gave a backward glance, then fell satisfied with the scene.  He thought back to the lake, when he tried to wake her up.  She said his name, didn't she?  Or perhaps it was a different Syaoran--sure, it the possiblity was a bit farfetched, but there was no way to be certain.

He now knew, though, that when she was caught off-guard, she showed a completely different personality.  One more sensitive and concerned.

"Oh!  Li!  I'm sorry, are you…"

During those few moments, genuine emotion peeked out through her eyelids, like fire uncovered from beneath snow.  Even her short smile revealed warmth behind that exterior.  He understood that this fire wasn't something she let burn often; it was something precious, hidden, as a secret would be.  He just hoped he could persuade her to show that caring side more often, without receiving any lumps on the head.

They once again approached the rural neighborhood, but Artemis cooperated this time around.  As they passed a run-down park whose centerpiece seemed to be a large blue penguin, she shivered again.

"Are you still cold?"

"No… not really."

"Then is something wrong?"

She paused for a moment, seeming to try to think of a way to evade the question.

"Where are we going?"

He rolled his eyes and silently scoffed at her lack-luster response, almost expecting something a bit more valid. "We're close.  You'll see."  He constructed his own evasion, wondering why she was so set on avoiding the neighborhood.

They had walked a few more blocks and turned a corner when Syaoran once again glanced back at her to see her green eyes dulled and solemn.  He knew he wouldn't get a statement from her regarding her discomfort and didn't want to agitate it.  For a brief moment, he almost had the urge to turn back, just to see her eyes brighten as whatever burden the trip imposed was lifted from her pale shoulders.  He couldn't do that, though.  If he did, he would never find out what made her squirm about this place, and, more importantly, if she had a former connection to any of it.

They ascended the walk leading up to a small, white, two-story house with a light on in one of the floor-level rooms, and he could faintly hear her suppress a sigh.  Though the house was in the best condition of all the rest on the street, it still looked unkempt and gloomy.*  He rang the doorbell.

_~~~~_

_* _I really don't remember what Sakura's house looked like.  I haven't gotten to watch CCS in a while, so please forgive me if the description is a bit off.  Aside from the "unkempt and gloomy"ness.  That's supposed to be there.

~~~~

Alter-chan/Althea:  once again, BEWARE THE RABID CLIFFHANGERS!!  *_sniff_*aww... wasn't the part where they hugged sweet? *_looks around for kleenex (i don't own Kleenex, either, by the way), but can't find one_* oh well.  whatever.  well, i'm gonna chill out here until the others come back with everyone's favorite Guardian Goddess of Dragons--how they'll fit her into those little butterfly nets is beyond me... *_shrugs_*  anyway, remember those 10 reviews!  thanx!  ^_^


	5. Dead In Your Eyes

Identity's Past

by AlterEthereal

Syaoran returned to find his princess, but discovered she has been missing in action for years.  Now, a mysterious, distant girl has arrived in the city... could his princess be right under his nose?

Ok, here's the breakdown:  the only person who actually reviewed me since last chapter was sweet-captor.  Doubt Mayo also reviewed, but she's my niece, so that one doesn't count.  (sorry Leah...)  ^_^;  Anyway, after the stunt pulled by the former when she reviewed, I decided that it was worth it and that I would post this anyway.  So this chapter is dedicated solely to you, sweet-captor!  Enjoy!

Alter-chan/Althea:  well, apparently, the others haven't found Ave yet... or else they _did_ find her and got killed... i didn't think those butterfly nets would work... *_hits self with frying pan_* must. think. happy. thoughts... i miss Leif.  damnit Althea!  i do NOT!!  hm... not happy enough.  looks like i'll just have to settle for this:  DISCLAIMER:  i do not own CCS... CLAMP does.  if they would like to hand it over, i would gladly take it, but i don't see that happening any time in the near future.  ^_^

~~~~

Chapter Five:  Dead (In Your Eyes)

~~~~

She tried as hard as she could to obscure her anxiety, but now and then she emitted an audible gulp, as if something was lodged in her throat.

She recognized the man who ushered them inside:  he was rather tall, with light brown hair beginning to gray near the scalp.  Probably from stress, she figured.  He wore prestigious glasses except where they cracked in the left lens.  She imperatively felt the need to tend to whatever aches and pains plagued him, and to fix his broken sight.  She remained stationary, however, unwilling to give in to her loving disposition.

"So Li, who's this lovely young lady you've brought home with you?"

_Home?  What does he mean by "home"?_  She wondered.

"Just a friend." He replied haplessly.

"Well, what's her name?"

Syaoran turned toward his lady companion expectantly.

"Artemis," she uttered calmly, though slightly faltering.

"Artemis…" the man seemed to contemplate.  "The Greek goddess of the moon.  Someone gave you a very pretty name."  She smiled nervously on the outside, but on the inside, the irony of his statement made her cringe.  She wondered for a moment whether or not he would ask if she was ill, as most people did when they noted the paleness of her skin.  "Are you new to this city?" he asked instead.

"Yes," she lied, turning her eyes to the stained carpet.

"Would you like a piece of advice?"

She looked up questioningly at the man, whose expression had unexpectedly turned to from one of kindness to one of warning.

"Don't go in the factory."

"Why not?"

"It's oppressive.  You're better off if they don't know you exist."

She suddenly felt lonely, and realized that Syaoran wasn't speaking.  Upon receiving her glance, he turned away and began strolling toward another part of the house.  The living room.

"Let's join him, shall we?"

The girl merely nodded, not knowing what other answer to give.

~*~

Syaoran had seated himself on a large couch in the midst of the clean, somehow empty, room.  He imagined what would be going through the girl's mind at the moment she walked in, and one question in particular she would be dying to have answered.

Fulfilling his predictions, she inquired, "Do you live here by yourself?"

"No," came a rough, masculine voice projected not from an individual in the small room, but from a figure descending creaky stairs.  The second test was approaching.  When it arrived, it was revealed as a tall, slender boy, seemingly quite a bit older than Syaoran.  He wore a grease-stained, white blouse and black work pants, and had some sort of sac slung over his shoulder.  He had dark hair and coarse eyes, which looked from one person to the next as he entered, stopping on the pretty newcomer.  "Who's that?"

She put a cautious step forward, and although her steps were shaky, her eyes were hard and cold, trying to hold back tears that threatened to form in them.  "Artemis," she replied, extending a hand.  "Pleased to meet you."

He shook her hand almost eagerly, then turned to Syaoran.  "Where'd you pick up a girl like this, huh?"

"That's not your business." He rose slowly, a slight tone of anger infecting his words.

"Were you out bar-hopping again?"

"You're the drinker."

At this point, the eldest man intervened.  "This is my son, Tory."

The girl acknowledged with a curt nod as the two younger boys sat down, until she was the only person left standing.  She eyed each possible seat for herself critically, then finally placed herself next to Syaoran.  He figured that would be her choice, but still slightly blushed noticing how close she sat.  A pinkish hue also developed on her face, he soon saw.

Tory seemed a little disappointed, but overall unfettered by her choice of seating arrangements.  His father continued.  This would be the third test.

"This may seem odd, but you remind me a lot of my daughter.  I think if I could see her today, she'd look quite like you."  He saw the grave expression on her face and interpreted it as inquiry.  "She left when she was even younger than you… maybe three or four years ago."

"Five."  Syaoran corrected him in a soft tone, as if remembering a sad event from the past.  It was a little painful, even for him.  The topic hadn't come up for a long while, two people wanting to put memory behind them, and a third clinging for dear life to the shred of memory he had left.

"Thank you.  Five years ago."

~*~

_Five years, huh… _she was already 17, and she hadn't known it.  She heard her own story as if she were dead, flowers on her grave and pictures stashed in a dusty photo album to dig up when someone turns 60.  She was now unable to suppress the tears that welled in her viridian eyes.  She glanced to her left to see Syaoran, ahead to see Tory, and to her right to see his father.  They all seemed so grief-stricken; it just made the tears worse.  Having no place to hide her treacherous eyes before the clear, warm drops fell, she turned them toward the ground.  It, too, unfortunately, seemed to know the guilt that lingered in them, so she bit her lip and sucked back what she could of her sullen disposition, then got slowly to her feet.  Syaoran looked up at her with a hard expression obscuring the sadness she was sure was there, as if to ask her something of grave importance that she didn't want to answer.

She managed to extend a quiet farewell to the party, then proceeded toward the door.  Somewhere behind her, she heard the shuffle of a figure standing, then closing in on her position, and all she could do was walk.  She didn't want to leave them so unbalanced, so melancholy, but she couldn't stand to see their tired faces as they remembered someone known only to them as dead.  She turned the doorknob and walked out, vaguely aware of a presence following her.  She heard the door close softly at her back, then the sound of her own footsteps quickening.  She soon realized she was running, to and from nowhere.

~~~~

Alter-chan/Althea:  so there it is, folks.  i'm sorry it took so long to get up here, but like i said before, all insanity is ensuing around me.  on the bright side, my birthday is the 9th, so hopefully i'll get to relax a little then (perhaps even work a bit on Identity's Past).  'til then, though, rock on and have a nice day.

p.s. - be sure to extend a thank you to sweet-captor, since she's basically the one responsible for me putting this up here.  ^_^

~AlterEthereal


	6. City of Lost Dreams

Identity's Past

by AlterEthereal

Ahoy, me hearties!  I'm back from my trip and am _very_ pleased to say that I did well in the competition.  But enough about that!  I'll try to make this short and sweet.  The story:  I'd like to extend a big thanx and a hug to all my reviewers so far!  I'm sorry I haven't been able to update for a while (thanks to the aforementioned trip), but I do hope that this chapter makes up for my absence!!  ^_^  Enjoy!

Ave:  well it's about time you got back.

Alter-chan/Althea:  what?  oh!  they found you!

Ave:  sadly, yes.

Alter-chan/Althea:  well where are they?  you didn't...

Ave:  they ran off to hide, i believe.

Alter-chan/Althea:  -_-;  well that's better than what i thought would happen...

Ave:  anyway, let's just get this over with.  I have dragons to tame and Tychos to torture, here.

Alter-chan/Althea:  HEY!!!  DON'T YOU DARE HARM A HAIR ON HIS HEAD OR I SWEAR I'LL *_censored so that i don't have to up the rating_* AND FURTHERMORE I'LL--

Ave: *_cuts her off by "de-assimilating" Alter-chan and Althea_*

Alter-chan:  O_O *blinks* what was i saying?

Althea:  O_O ..........

Ave:  you were doing disclaimer.

Alter-chan:  oh.  ok.  DISCLAIMER:  i don't own CCS.  i don't think.  Ave, do i own CCS?

Ave:  no.

Alter-chan:  alright.  what she said.

~~~~

Chapter 6:  City of Lost Dreams

~~~~

He ran after her all the way back to the meadow, which was now acquiring a soft frost.  Neither of them seemed fazed by the cold, however.  When she stopped, she was breathing heavily, and her knees fell to the cold, wet grass.  Not in fatigue, though--he heard a faint sob.  She had passed the test… more or less.  It seemed to have taken an irreparable toll on her mentally, and regardless of who she was or where she truly came from, he felt a terrible amount of remorse for every tear he knew she was biting back.

He walked up to her slowly, and soon was directly behind her.  He wound his arms around her bent waist and pulled her up without turning her around, none to her ability to protest.  Her head still bent toward the ground, he rested his forehead upon her locks of auburn and closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry."

She weakly lolled against his warm chest, and he said nothing.  He suddenly had the urge to protect her, wanting to never see those tired tears again.

That was it then.  He would protect her.

He turned her slowly to face him, and looked into her still-wet eyes with an air of desperation.  What he saw in them was nothing that he could honestly identify--just a weary pain he wished he could rid her of.  With a strong hand, he rested her form against his reassuringly.

~*~

When she awoke, she found herself leaning back and staring into the lake, which was covered in a thin layer of mist and frost left by the night before.  She wondered why she wasn't cold, then looked down and blushed, seeing a hand around her waist.  She became suddenly aware of the events of yesterday, and found herself happier with amnesia.  She removed the hand gently and turned her body to gaze at the slumbering boy who had stayed with her during the cold night.

He looked serene, his head tilted slightly and his back against the oak which had cradled her during sleep once before.  She couldn't remember falling asleep, and wondered how long it had been.  She considered waking him, but immediately dismissed the thought, watching him doze peacefully.  Instead, she curled up a little and fell back into sleep against his chest.

~*~

A sweet smell flooded his senses as he came to consciousness.  The pale girl was still there, just as he had left her, though somewhat warmer now.  He hesitantly lifted a finger to brush a few strands of hair from her face, but much to his surprise, she opened her heavy eyelids and tipped her head back a bit to see his face.  Her eyes were still pain-filled, but now contained a certain complacency that made him smile warmly.  His fingers resumed their path and stroked her cheek softly.  He could only remember feeling this way once, and that was seven years ago--when he had held Sakura in his arms.  He wondered if this could be the same girl, if he was seeing the true person behind the insecurity as he held her.

"Thank you," she murmured, in not much more than a whisper, "for being here."

"I will be, as long as you want."

~*~

She soon became more comfortable with her surroundings, and even ventured into the white house occasionally.  And although Syaoran was the only person she really talked to, her cold disposition was slowly melting.  She was still distant and antisocial, but she did show emotion now and then, which was more than anyone could say before.  She even met Madison, who lived on the other side of town, a more high-class neighborhood.  She had grown up to be quite the beautiful, young lady, though she had given up the idea of becoming a clothing designer, mostly for lack of drive or inspiration.  

She thought it sad, the way the spirits of the people in the city had been broken, silently referring to the town as "the city of lost dreams."  True, the indigo-eyed beauty had cheered up when Syaoran introduced them, but she still seemed a little empty, like something had died inside her.

Otherwise, life wasn't so horrible.  She spent most of her time outside city limits, avoiding the people and the factory.  The weather became warmer, and spring came around fully.  The few cherry blossom trees that remained bloomed with vivid, pink colors, and the smog that usually blanketed the area around the factory lifted enough to see the blue sky above it.  The town was still a dreary place, but she didn't mind it as much nowadays.

One day, however, she wandered a bit too close to the center of town and the factory.

"What's your name?" A man in a yellow uniform inquired.  She didn't respond, so he yanked her wrist toward the ominous building.  "You're coming with me."

Though irritated, she followed the man, knowing full well what was going on.  Yet she wasn't scared, not in the least.

~~~~

Alter-chan:  oooh... the suspense.  *_in a deep, scary voice_* where's that guy taking her?  how will she deal with him?  where's syaoran when you need him?

Syaoran:  i'm right here.

Alter-chan:  hey!  you're not supposed to be here!!  get back in the story!!!!!

Syaoran: *_shrugs_* *_walks off_*

Zuri: *_appearing from out of nowhere_* who was that?  he was hot...

Alter-chan: *_bashes head against random wall_* *_gets dizzy_* *_falls over_* pluheuze roofiiaw...

Zuri:  i think... she was trying to say "please review."

Alter-chan: *_arm flies through air with a "thumbs up" attached_*

Zuri:  yep.  thanx!

~AlterEthereal


	7. Kindred

Identity's Past

by AlterEthereal

Syaoran returned to find his princess, but discovered she has been missing in action for years.  Now, a mysterious, distant girl has arrived in the city... could his princess be right under his nose?

Oh yeeeess!!!  Thank Heaven for snow days!!!!!  Yeah, I know it's still really soon to be posting another chapter, but I already had parts of this written out (the cool fight scene... w00t!), mostly just so that I wouldn't forget what happened in the dream.  Anyway, enjoy!!

Zuri:  hey readers!  Alter-chan is still knocked out from bashing her head against the wall last chapter, so i will be with you for the balance of the... however long it takes you to read this.

Alter-chan:  x_x

So:  yeah, i'll just be over there... *_points to a random corner_* ...playing with Anaru's sword.

Anaru: *_gives her the Heero Yuy Death Glare_*

So: *_glares right back_*

Zuri:  anyway, who wants to do disclaimer?

*_silence_* *_a cricket chirps_*

Zuri:  alright, mr. cricket!  you can do disclaimer for me!!

cricket:  chirp chirp chirp chirp.

*translation:  DISCLAIMER:  Alter-chan doesn't own CCS or anybody in this chapter.  she just owns me and the rest of the AlterEthereal crew.  Thank you.

~~~~

"What's your name?" A man in a yellow uniform inquired.  She didn't respond, so he yanked her wrist toward the ominous building.  "You're coming with me."

Though irritated, she followed the man, knowing full well what was going on.  Yet she wasn't scared, not in the least.

~~~~

Chapter seven:  Kindred

~~~~

The factory seemed to have two separate buildings--one for office work and another for production.  She was led to the office building, most likely what they did with females.  She entered the building to see a shiny, dark hall with black tiles on the walls.  The front desk seemed deserted, but not abandoned, like whoever worked there had gone home for the day.  He took her to a glassy elevator, extracted an ID card from his pocket, and ushered her inside.  She walked slowly, almost defiantly into the cramped chamber.  He took the opportunity to shove her fiercely inside.

The elevator was fast, and she was beginning to understand why the rest of the city was in shambles.  When they reached some floor high above ground, they exited into a white-walled room filled with cubicles.  They were cluttered together tightly, as if many people worked there.

"Know how to read and write, mute?" he asked harshly.  Once again, he received no answer, so he turned around and grabbed her upper arm forcefully and pinned her against a hard, white wall.  "I asked you a question."

She pulled herself away from him slyly, and when he attempted to regain control, she moved smoothly from his way.  Now thoroughly angry, the man held back a fist, prepared to use violence to get her to cooperate.  She dodged his weak assault gracefully, however, realizing how much she missed the excitement of a fight.  She reached to her waist, as if looking for something, but then remembered that the cards were no longer in her possession.  The man lunged at her, and with great effort, she leaned forward and extended a leg behind her, causing the man to lose his footing and fall to the floor.  Not that he was finished--he took hold of her extended ankle and pulled her toward him, putting a hand to his belt.  She caught a glimpse of a beating stick and immediately jabbed both her heels into the man's torso.  She delivered the blow with practiced force, such that he was sent flying a short distance across the office.  She remained almost entirely unscathed, with the exception of her ankle, which was slightly sore.  When convinced he wouldn't attack her the same way again, she turned and began toward the elevator.  The man took the opportunity to attack from behind, a fairly obvious move, and grabbed her around her collarbone with both hands.  She almost mechanically spun around, bending to pick up force to throw him down over her back.  She wasn't weak--he had to give her that.  His back hit the office floor so hard that the cubicles to her right shook, and the wall of one even threatened to fall.  The man lay on the ground, paralyzed momentarily from pain, but mostly shock.  The sound of an open elevator echoed throughout the dark office space, and, from out of nowhere, the point of a sword hung less than an inch from the man's neck.  A bit surprised, the girl turned to see fierce amber eyes directed with anger toward the submissive figure on the floor.

"Have you ever seen this girl before?" he asked it, resentment dripping from each syllable.

"N- No," the man muttered, eyes widened in fear and cowardice.

"Good." He withdrew the blade slowly, drawing it as closely to his throat as possible without piercing his skin.  He and the girl walked to the elevator silently as he sheathed his sword.

They didn't speak again until far away from the factory.  "I told you not to go in there."

"He didn't give me much of a choice.  If I resisted while I was still outside, I took the risk of others coming to his aid."

"Smart choice."

"How did you know where I was?"

"I saw him escort you in."

"Then what took you so long?"

"I had to get Tory's card from the house."

There was a pause.

"Did he do anything to you?"

"No."

Another pause.

"I would've been fine."

"Right."  They reached the meadow.  "Where did you learn to fight?"

"Someone… taught me a while ago."  She felt the need to sound natural, so she inquired about his sword, even though it wasn't truly necessary.  He replied hesitantly, glancing toward his side where it's tasseled hilt glinted in the sunlight.

"I… used to be a kind of warrior.  My quest has since ended, but I kept the sword for when it was needed."  His tone had a somewhat defeated air to it, and she suddenly felt a bit sorry.

"Do you miss it?"

"Parts of it."

"Which parts?"

He paused a moment before answering.  "It doesn't matter.  It's over now."

She moved to be directly in his path.  "Please tell me."

Syaoran wouldn't look into her eyes.  He instead turned his to the ground beside him.  "I had a very good partner.  When we went our separate ways, she took a part of me with her."

"Could anyone ever fill the void?"

"No one could ever take her place."

"I'm sorry for you." She looked toward the ground, but was discreetly satisfied that she had left an imprint on him.

"It's alright.  I'm not sad anymore."

Her eyes returned upward.  "Why not?"

"Because I know she'll come back someday," he affected his gaze back toward her, then added, "if she hasn't already."

At first, she didn't know how to reply without sounding self-incriminating, but then decided to let her emotions speak for her, smiling brightly.  "Then I'm happy for you."  She walked back around to his side, in an almost dainty stride.  His eyes followed her questioningly and a bit sarcastically.

"Happy?  You?"

"Mhm…" upon her arrival, she put a hand on his neck and playfully jerked him toward her so she could whisper in his ear.  "I'll tell you a secret… I went on a quest once.  I also had a partner who stole my heart away, my kindred friend."

"Oh, is that so?"

"It is," she replied, casting him a small smile from the corner of her eye.

"And what happened?"

She sighed.  "He left, and I went far away."

"How far?"

"Very far."

"Did you ever return?"

"Yes."

"And?"

"The place I knew had changed.  It had become dank and dreary and I cried."

He replied after a short pause.  "I'm sorry for you."

"It's alright.  I'm not sad anymore."

"Why not?"

"Because I met a knight in shining armor who dried my tears."

So that was it then.

"Then I'm happy for you." His feet shifted and he pulled her closer, and she noted, with a slightly different air to his touch.  It was gentler, more endearing...

She suddenly felt a bit weary, and lifted her emerald eyes to his amber ones.  She saw in them compassion, reminiscence, inquisition, content, reassurance, and even desire.  For what she wasn't sure, until he lifted her chin with asthenic fingers and pressed his lips softly to hers.  Her body went limp.

~*~

Whether it was to relieve her pain or his own, he didn't know.  Nor did he care.  He let everything around him fall away until all that remained of reality was the sweet taste of a long-desired kiss and a pale girl resting in his arms.  Not just any girl, however.  His most sincere hopes had been fulfilled--the knight's princess had returned.  Now all that was left was to fulfill her hopes; how he wasn't sure, but the thought crossed his mind that a kiss might be a start.

He suddenly felt her form stiffen, however, and released her questioningly.  She opened her eyes almost reluctantly, and Syaoran was completely caught off guard by the pain he saw in them.  Her cheeks were flushed, and her countenance seemed shaken irreparably.  He tried to speak, to apologize, anything--but no words would form behind his tongue.  Breath shortening and heart quickening, he forced his lips to shape a single word.

_Sakura._

He heard the beginning of a quickly-stifled sob escape her throat, and saw her pain-filled eyes begin to glaze over with liquid.  His brow loosened.  He tried once again to find speech.

"Sa-..." he muttered, as the girl's expression slowly changed from anguish to fear.  "Sakur--"

He was cut off abruptly by an icy touch to his mouth.  The contrast was close to terrifying to him:  his warm, steady lips to her cold, shaking finger.  He couldn't help but notice how she allowed her hand to linger on his face for a few long moments before she turned away and began to run--out of his sight and out of his reach.  Again.

~~~~

Zuri:  whew!  that was a long chapter.  soooo?  you liiiike?

Alter-chan:  x_x

Anaru: *_still staring at sword_* hmm... maybe it says "don't look at me or i'll kill you"?

So:  so shiny  *.*

Zuri:  um... o... k... since they're obviously not going to answer me, will you please review?  you know you want to press the pretty purple button down there...  ^_^

~AlterEthereal


	8. Guilt

Identity's Past

by AlterEthereal

Syaoran returned to find his princess, but discovered she has been missing in action for years.  Now, a mysterious, distant girl has arrived in the city... could his princess be right under his nose?

The only thing I'd really like to do here is give a HUGE thank you to all the reviewers.  It's absolutely wonderful to hear that you guys like it, and it makes me that much more motivated and happy.  So THANK YOU!  ^_^

Alter-chan: *_just woke up_* what'd i miss?

Zuri:  well, So accidentally...

Alter-chan:  she what?

Zuri:  well she... um...

Alter-chan:  WHAT?!?!

Zuri:  she hacked your computer to bits with Anaru's sword.

Alter-chan:  O_O *_begins running around like a basketcase_* NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

Zuri: *_begins laughing hysterically_*  i was just kidding!!

Alter-chan:  oh.  i knew that.

Zuri:  you did not.

Alter-chan:  just for that, you get to do disclaimer.

Zuri: *_whines_*  ooooh... not fair!

Alter-chan:  too bad.  serves you right.

Zuri:  fine... DISCLAIMER:  Alter-chan doesn't own CCS.  but i own a sledgehammer, which i'm about to bash her over the head with.

Alter-chan:  O_O

~~~~

Chapter 8:  Guilt

~~~~

Syaoran's feet followed a few steps before he could stop himself.  He wanted to go after her, but so what if he did?  He couldn't change what had transpired.  He had shown his affection for her--she had run away crying.  His emotions alternated between guilt and sadness as he stared in her new direction.  Most prominently, he felt guilt for causing her pain, especially as he had been hoping to rid her of it.  She had seemed happy, for a few brief moments, but then it was like she had frozen over, as if realizing she were late to an important appointment.  He felt sadness for the fleeting quality of the emotion that had overtaken them both as their lips met.  He longed to feel her close to him always, but the pain of rejection still echoed in his mind.  _Had_ he been rejected?  Another feeling was raised in him:  uncertainty.  If she had really been Sakura, why would she keep her identity from him?  And if she were truly the Mistress of the Cards, why couldn't he sense her Star Cards?  What of her staff?  Perhaps it was all a coincidence.  What if he loved a stranger?

He would sleep outside tonight.

~*~

Tears streamed down her still-red face as she collapsed next to the dead oak, which had lately become her best friend.

"Why?" she half-choked on a sob.  "Why did he have to do that?  Why?!"  She pounded a shaking fist against the ground.  _Why did he have to kiss me?  That only makes it harder!_

She thrust her fist toward the cold earth again, but harder.  She did it again and again, hoping that if she focused on the physical pain she caused herself, perhaps she could forget about the pain she was fighting in her mind.  Her anger wasn't directed toward Syaoran, or toward herself.  Not really.  Her anger was, in fact, minute compared to the amount of sadness and hurt she concealed to herself with her voice.  Deep inside, the problem was pinpointed and simple, yet inescapable.

She loved Syaoran--that fact hadn't been disputed once.  She had loved him years ago, as their card-capturing quest came to an end, and even before that.  When he was forced to go, her feelings didn't dwindle.  If anything, they were amplified by his promise to wait for her.

_Syaoran?_

_Yeah?_

_Will you promise me something?_

_What?_

_Wait for me.  Wait for me in Hong Kong.  I'll be waiting for you, too._

_Sakura... that much goes without saying._

_You promise?_

_I promise.*_

He had waited.  He must've felt so horrible and betrayed when he came back to find she wasn't there.  But then, he kissed her.  No, he kissed Artemis.  Perhaps he hadn't waited.  After all, she had broken her promise; she wasn't there waiting for him when he returned.  She couldn't blame him if he fell in love with the girl Sakura pretended to be.  He remembered her--that much was certain.  He even seemed to know, for a brief few seconds, her true identity.  How could she have slipped up so badly?  She practically told him who she was!

"Oh!  This is too confusing!  Which does he think I am?" she cried out loud.  "He said I--Sakura--was special to him.  Then how can he love a girl when he isn't sure she's his princess?!"

Her hand was now officially covered with bruises and flecks of blood where her skin was cut by small pebbles.  It didn't bother her in the least.  All she wanted was for the entire ordeal to be over, for her to be able to live a normal life, one without a Sword of Damocles** hanging over her head.  Perhaps she could take her own life as well...

No.  She would torture herself in the afterlife as well.  She just couldn't do it.  She could barely even think about killing the person she loved most, let alone go through with it.  She would rather go back to the caves and disappear forever than fulfill her "duty."  At the moment, that option seemed quite forgiving.

"Is that how my tragic fairy tale will end?" she cried to herself.

~*~

Syaoran opened his eyes wearily, his head pounding.  He had barely slept; every time he tried to let his mind drift to unconsciousness, it drifted back to the events of the day, instead.  Those thoughts were about as satisfying as the cold, dewy grass he lay on.

There was a light fog on the meadow, and the still-rising sun was only vaguely visible through the cloud.  He wondered how she was; whether she had gone back to the city during the night; if she had remained by the lake, where he was sure she had spent at least a part of the evening; if she had just left and run away, never to return.

He willed himself to his feet, all the while arguing with his aching neck, which had been placed awkwardly the night before while trying vainly to find a "comfortable" position.  After stretching his back a bit and being greeted by several audible pops and cracks, he trudged toward the city, where he resolved to look for her first.  While he was at it, he would stop by the Avalon residence and get some aspirin.

~*~

She gazed at the lake, engulfed in mist and fog.  Her head hurt from crying herself to sleep the night before, as well as the rest of her body from sleeping on the cold, rocky earth.

_The water._  She thought absently.  _A bath.  Who cares if it's a little cold?_

And with that, she undressed and headed for the shoreline drowsily.  Even if someone were around, they wouldn't be able to see her through all the fog.  She'd make it quick, anyway.  She did this frequently while she lived in the caves.

She uttered a gasp as she slid her foot into the cold water, but it soon turned to a sigh as the feeling of the cool liquid began to take it's soothing effect on her sore limbs.  She ducked her full form beneath the surface, and for a few moments, the pain in her head seemed to vanish as it was enveloped by cold waves of water.  She opened her eyes, but the water didn't sting them.  It felt surprisingly refreshing.

She managed to escape her troubles for a time as she bathed and swam in the lake, turning her attention more toward physical sensations than to the dark cloud she was sure would resume it's place above her head as soon as she ascended the cool depths.  Occasionally, however, her thoughts did drift to Syaoran, and how he must've felt after she left.  After she had calmed her anger and sadness a bit, a horrible guilt washed over her, thinking of how rejected he had probably felt, when in reality, he didn't know just how much he meant to her, and how her world would crumble without him.  Naturally, the next thought would concern her life after she breaks the news to her "supervisor" that she can't fulfill her mission.  Whenever this thought reared it's disdainful head, she re-submerged herself in the placid water, in hopes of forgetting once again.

~~~~

* yes, sad to say, i made that up.

** Roman - a sense of impending doom or anxiety.  

~~~~

Anaru:  ok... listen up.  Kaya's hiding from Zuri, who is running around with some kind of sledgehammer, So is still playing with my sword... grr... and Leif is off doing who knows what (or cares).  so i'm stuck with end-of-chapter duties.  so here goes.  *ahem*  thanx for reading and i hope you enjoyed the chapter.  Be sure to review.  thank you.

~AlterEthereal


	9. Welcome

Identity's Past

by AlterEthereal

Hey folks!  Not much to say here except that I would like to thank all my reviewers... you are all excellent and I sincerely hope that you win the lottery or get superpowers or whatever your fancy because I LOVE YOU!  *_tear_*  Oh!  And also, I'm sorry if last chapter was a bit short.  I know you all just want to keep on reading and reading and rea-- *_gets dizzy, falls over_*  @_@

Alter-chan: *_breathlessly_* Zuri... *_pant_* ...please... *_pant_* ...put down... *_pant_* ...the mallet...

Zuri:  ok! *_"puts it down" onto Alter-chan's head_*

Alter-chan:  X_x

Anaru: *_sweatdrops_* well, i guess that does it for the chase...

Zuri:  damn straight it does! *_puffs out chest proudly_*

Anaru:  um... niiiiice... *_walks off_*

Zuri: *_looks around for someone to do disclaimer_**_groans_*  haiiiii.... you mean i bonked the only other person left to do disclaimer?  *_sigh_*  fine then.  DISCLAIMER:  neither Alter-chan nor myself owns any part of CCS.  this story however, belongs to the unconscious Alter-chan.

RANDOM A/N:  in the above, when Zuri whines "haiiiii...." it is NOT meant as "yes" in japanese.  it is just her typical groaning.

~~~~

Chapter Nine:  Welcome

~~~~

Syaoran was becoming nervous.  She hadn't been at the house, and no one there had seen or heard from her since the day before.  If she wasn't at the lake…

He shuddered at the thought.  His steps through the thick grass sped up a bit as he made his way across the vast expanse of meadow between the city gates and the lake.

The fog hadn't lifted yet, so it was difficult to sight the dead oak until he was within mere yards of the lake.  He looked around, but couldn't see much past it.  His heart skipped a beat as his hawk eyes scanned the area but couldn't see anything near the tree.  He came closer, hoping that he had missed something through the mist that surrounded him.

He had.

On the ground next to the tree, shrouded by the thick fog, was a pile of what appeared to be clothing--awfully familiar clothing, at that.  His heart skipped another beat, but this time, the cause made him blush furiously.  She must be _in_ the lake.

He heard a faint splashing from the direction of the shoreline and his head impulsively turned to face it.  He took several unconscious steps in the direction of the sound, but stopped when he remembered what would be on the other side of the wall of clouds.  He turned around and prepared to run, as the splashing sound seemed to grow closer.  Before he could make his escape, however, something stopped him.

"Li?"  Her voice was soft, but she sounded infinitely nervous, as if biting back a stutter.  He jerked to a halt mid-step, scarlet-faced, and mentally slapping himself for his lousy timing.  "I- Is that you?"

"Um… are you in the water?"

"Y- Yes…"

"All the way, I mean."

He heard another few splashes.

"Yeah.  You can look now."

He turned around hesitantly.  A wave of relief rushed over him as he realized that she was, indeed, fully beneath the surface, with only her head and the tops of her shoulders protruding from the water.  He noticed, with a smile tugging at his lips, that she was so pale that her skin barely contrasted the water.  Only her cinnamon hair really distinguished her from the lake itself.

"I was looking for you," he stated plainly, suddenly feeling the need to justify his presence.

~*~

_He was worried about me?  _She thought to herself.  _Even after what happened, he was still worried…_

"I see," she muttered distractedly.

After a long, awkward pause, composed mostly of Syaoran averting his gaze downward, not successful in hiding his crimson cheeks, he cleared his throat and mumbled something incomprehensible.

"What?"

"I said I should probably leave," he answered, and then turned around and began back toward the oak.

"Um, wait!" She called after him.  "Er… could you bring me my clothes?"

He looked back toward her, but only enough to manage a quick nod before disappearing into the mist.

He returned shortly, bearing the small bundle of clothes in his arms and a cute blush on his face.  He set the mess down on the shore beside the lake and looked at her briefly, then turned back around to go.

"You can stay, i-if you want," she stuttered.  "I'll be out in just a minute."

"Nah, I'll leave you alone here."

"Please stay… I want you to."

~*~

Royally confused, but not without charisma, Syaoran replied that he would wait for her, then wandered off into the fog to find the oak tree.  After feeling around for the exact location of the trunk, he sat and leaned back against the cool bark, trying not to pay attention to the humidity.  This wasn't difficult, since his thoughts were mostly focused on Artemis.

_Why would she want me to stay?  I thought for sure she wanted nothing to do with me, after what happened.  Otherwise, why would she have just run off like that?  _He became more confused the more he thought.  _There must be a reason she's doing this… _"What's she holding back?" he asked himself quietly.

"What?"

His head jerked up at the sound of her voice, and he saw a figure approaching him through the thickening mists.  She was fully dressed, though still quite damp.

"It was nothing."  He gazed softly at her shivering form and lifted himself from the wet grass.  "We should probably get you to the house--you look like you could use some dry clothes."

"Li?" she asked, seeming to ignore his previous statement.  She paused, as if waiting for an acknowledgement.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry," she continued, "for running off like that."  He could tell, just by the sound of her voice, that tears were forming in her wide, emerald eyes.  He wanted to believe that she would've stayed if she had the chance to recreate the scene, but he knew that wasn't likely.

"You don't have to be sorry." He muttered, his voice a bit more caustic than he had intended.  It didn't bother him much.

"I don't care.  I'm sorry anyway."

"Would you have done things differently?"

She was silent for a few moments, obviously taken aback by his question.  Every second of that silence felt like a knife at his throat, begging him to repeat the inquiry.  "If you could go back and do it over again, would you do things differently?"

"Yes, I think I would."

Syaoran, slightly shocked, couldn't think of anything appropriate to say for a few moments himself.  Not that he needed to--before he could even find the words, let alone get them out, the wet girl ran to him and hugged him squarely around the middle.  Once he was quite recovered, he placed his arms around her also, hoping that it would be a welcomed response.

Her dripping hair grazed across his shirt, leaving little damp spots in it's wake.  In less than a minute, he was close to as wet as she was.  But he didn't care.  All that really mattered was that she was there with him.

"Now can I ask you a question?"  She pulled away slowly and met his eyes.

"It's only fair, isn't it?"

~~~~

Zuri:  eh, i think i'm just gonna leave you guys to ponder the last few sentences of the chapter, rather than go off into some random spiel on something.  so please review!!  thanx!  ^_^

~AlterEthereal


	10. Promise

Identity's Past

by AlterEthereal

Syaoran returned to find his princess, but discovered she has been missing in action for years.  Now, a mysterious, distant girl has arrived in the city... could his princess be right under his nose?

Me want thank reviewers!!!  Me love you!!  lol.  Ok, so if anyone's been confused about when things happened (what year did Sakura leave home, exactly?), that stuff gets explained this chapter.  I've been working ahead.  ^_^  I already have about half the next chapter done *_GO ALTER, GO!!* _but I wanted to wait at least 4 or 5 days before I posted this one, that way I could give people time to review.  Also, I've had enough physics homework to keep a team of U.S. nuclear scientists busy.  -_-;  Anyway, enjoy!

So:  hi everyone!  Anaru seems to have taken the sword away...  T_T  ...so i've come back so visit!  now lets do disclaimer and get this show on the road!!

Alter-chan:  x_X

So:  Kaya?

Alter-chan:  X_x

So:  um... judging by this large mallet, i'd say Zuri was here.  *_sigh_*  ok, fine.  DISCLAIMER:  The twitching Alter-chan owns nothing.  not even AlterEthereal.  i own AlterEthereal.

Alter-chan: *_suddenly waking up and punching So_*

So:  i mean, she owns everything.  EVERYTHING DAMNIT!!

Alter-chan:  i do NOT!  are you trying to get me sued?!?!

So: *_innocent, sheepish smile_*

Alter-chan:  -_-;  REAL DISCLAIMER:  The no-longer-twitching Alter-chan does not own CCS.  but she DOES own AlterEthereal!!  *_glares at So_*

~~~~

"Now can I ask you a question?"  She pulled away slowly and met his eyes.

"It's only fair, isn't it?"

~~~~

Chapter 10:  Promise

~~~~

"Who do you think I am?"

He paused for a short time, trying to find the right words to suit his answer.

"I think you're a woman; a woman who's holding back a lot of painful secrets."  She turned her gaze to the ground.  "But I'm in no rush.  You can take all the time you want."

~*~

He didn't need to explain himself--she already knew what he meant.  It was sweet of him to let her take her time, but she still wasn't satisfied.  As nice as it was to hear those words, they only stated _what_ she was.  Her identity was a different matter.  

"But you didn't answer my question."

"You want the truth?"

"Yes."

"I don't know who you are."

Now why was that so painful?  That was what she was out to accomplish, right?  He didn't know who she was.  That should've been refreshing, but somehow, it just wasn't.  She _wanted_ him to know.

"But regardless," Syaoran added, "I want you to know something.  I think I've fallen in love with you."

"That's just too bad…" she trailed off, almost completely unaware of her own statement.

"Why's that?"

She looked him directly in the eye, a firmness in her voice that she prayed she could keep in her heart.  "Because I'm leaving.  Very soon."

At first, he seemed rather shocked.  After a moment of recovery, however, he asked the question she knew he would ask.

"To Hell," she replied, almost humorously.  "Back to where I came from."

A small chuckle escaped him.

"Funny how an angel like you could come from Hell."

"I'm no angel.  What if I'm a demon?  And seduced you into romance 'til you confessed your love to me and I kill you tonight while you're sleeping?"

"Then I'd be delighted to go to Hell with you."

She hadn't expected that one.

She burst into casual, honest laughter for the first time in months, forgetting the tension she had felt only moments ago.  She threw her arms around his neck, smiling as if nothing had changed since she was a child.  She remembered being held in his arms like this once in her blissful past and wondered if he had felt the same way back then.

"I think I've fallen in love with you, too, Li.  That's why," she stated, drawing away with a sweet smile to conceal her sadness, "I have to go."

He smiled warmly back at her with his brown-amber eyes.  "Will you promise me something?"

"What?"

"Wait for me.  Wait for me in Hell.  I'll be waiting for you, too."

The words wouldn't have made sense to anyone but Sakura.  He probably knew that, but she didn't really care anymore.  She even enjoyed the way her destination had become something of an inside joke between them.

"Li…" she gazed steadily at him.  "That much goes without saying."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

He once again smiled at her and took her hands into his gently, but then noticed her wince in pain.  She hoped he wouldn't look down...

Too late.  His face adopted a concerned expression as he gazed toward their tangled fingers.

"Um... what happened to your hand?"

~*~

He lay down with a new sense of comfort that night.  The bed was softer and warmer than usual, and felt almost… crowded.  He turned onto his side and propped himself up, his head resting on his palm and his elbow on his pillow.

There she was, next to him, hand bandaged and all.  It seemed like a dream come true for him, just for her to be with him, and sleeping peacefully, no less.  He blushed, knowing that all she wore beneath the covers were a pair of boxers and a button-up white shirt that was too big for her.  Not surprising--the clothes were his.  No women lived in the house any longer, and the clothes that once belonged in the room they slept in wouldn't fit her.

The room had once belonged to a little girl named Sakura Avalon.  He used to be a good friend of hers, but they were forced to part ways when they were only 10 or so.  He promised he would wait for her until they were able to meet again.  When she had turned 12, she left the city she knew, beckoned by justice and wielding the power of the Star Cards, an ultimate force he had seen no one defeat.

Syaoran brushed a strand of messy, auburn hair from the girl's closed eyes.

When he was 15, his mother became ill.  The family responsibilities were transferred to a more "able" clan, and shortly afterwards, she died.  He then returned to Tomoeda, where he hoped to find the only other woman he could say he truly loved.  When he arrived, however, Sakura Avalon was gone.  Many, including her grief-stricken family, said that the young beauty had died in battle, though none of them could say for sure.

His thumb grazed her cheek, and her hot breath tickled his skin.  "Sakura…" he whispered.

It was then that he had noticed her aura was gone, as well as the Star Cards.  Even if she had been killed, the cards would still exist.  For some reason, he felt only a small shred of their power left, as if all but one had vanished.  He journeyed to find the cause, using his sense of magic as his guide, and returned with a card he had never seen before:  The Hope.  He asked Madison Taylor, an old friend of the girl, and she hesitantly told him the story of it's creation.

"Please, don't leave me again."

The boy wrapped an arm around the slumbering girl and pulled her close to him, relishing in the smooth reality of her skin against his.

"How will I ever say goodbye to you?"

~*~

She felt a cautious finger touch her face and remove a stray piece of hair.

_He thinks I'm asleep…_

His strong, but gentle hand rested on her cheek, and she felt secure, just knowing he was there with her.  He whispered her name, though she still hadn't revealed her true identity to him.  He still hadn't given up on her…

She heard him quietly mutter a desperate plea--one that she wished with all her heart she could fulfill.  She felt an arm around her waist, then warm skin against hers.  She blushed and hoped his eyes were closed so he couldn't see the newly-acquired red tint.  He then asked a simple question, which she had been asking herself ever since she made up her mind about her mission.

"How will I ever say goodbye to you?"

_Don't worry, you won't have to say goodbye.  Don't worry…_

~~~~

Alter-chan:  *_yelling_*  anyone know what she's got up her sleeve?

all:  NO!!

Alter-chan:  anyone want to find out?

all:  NO!!

Alter-chan: *_sweatdrops_* anyone even paying attention?

all:  NO!!

Alter-chan:  o... k... well i guess anyone who cares should--

all:  NO!!

Alter-chan:  WOULD YOU GUYS SHUT UP ALREADY?!?!?!  WE GET THE POINT!!!!

all:  ....

Alter-chan:  that's better.  anyway, please review!  the purple button down there is calling to you!!  ^_^  

~AlterEthereal


	11. Nightmare

Identity's Past

by AlterEthereal

Syaoran returned to find his princess, but discovered she has been missing in action for years.  Now, a mysterious, distant girl has arrived in the city... could his princess be right under his nose?

Hey!  I would like to thank you guys for all the glorious reviews I got for last chappie; I'M NAMIN' NAMES!  Sheruke, sweet-captor, orlha, Crystal, and Tramie!!!  Thank you all so much, *sob* from the bottom of my heart!  About the story:  Things are heatin' up!  Whew!  *_turns on fan_* lol.  Anyway, everything gets explained next chapter.  The supervisor, the Star Cards, why Sakura decided to keep her identity a secret... don't you just wish I'd tell you now?  But I won't!  BWA HA HA!  *laughs maniacally*  lol.  Read on, ladies and gentlemen.  Read on.  And enjoy.  ^^

Alter-chan:  w00t!  i just wrote something funny about about the AlterEthereal crew.  *ahem*  Sleeping Beauty:  AE style!  Sophia and Anaru are forced to play out the scene where Princess Aurora and Prince Philip first meet--every bit reluctantly.  A certain kniving half-owl, half-authoress is there to urge them on!!

So and Anaru:  O_O

Alter-chan:  shut up.  you guys laughed the whole time when you read it.

So and Anaru:  -_-;

Alter-chan: *_puffs out chest proudly_*  and, as the "privileged authoress," i now command thee to do disclaimer!

So and Anaru: *_walk off_*

Alter-chan:  hey!  where do you think you're going?!  get back here! *_they don't come back_* well, it worked in the story...

Zuri:  hey, where's that hot Syaoran guy?

Alter-chan: *_smirks devilishly_* hm... i might tell you where he is if you do disclaimer for me...

Zuri:  O.O  REALLY?!

Alter-chan: *_nods_*

Zuri:  DISCLAIMER:  Alter-chan does not own Card Captor Sakura.  However, she does own AlterEthereal and Sleeping Beauty:  AE style!!   ^_^

Alter-chan:  Syaoran's in the story.  sleeping.

Zuri:  O_o;  *_face-faults_*

~~~~

Chapter 11:  Nightmare

~~~~

_Syaoran was walking down a darkened street, somewhere in the old city he hadn't seen in a long time.  It felt awkward, as if he should know something but simply didn't._

_The battle cry of a woman shattered the silence, clear to him as a full moon in a cloudless night sky.  It came from somewhere ahead of him, he decided.  He heard a scream.  Then another.  He tried, but found he couldn't run--just saunter, as if he were on the way to a park on a summer's day.  He recognized the small building ahead of him now:  Tomoeda Library._

Why here?

_He willed his legs to go faster, but they refused, and the screams only got louder as he approached.  When he finally did reach the building, he entered.  To his surprise, a figure stood in the darkness, all the way in the back of the room across from the doors.  He neared her, trying to make out who the person was._

Sakura?

_A girl with short auburn hair stood, bangs over shadowed eyes, seeming to be waiting for something.  There was another scream.  He could tell that they came from the child in front of him, yet her lips didn't move at all.  As if she were screaming from the inside instead.  She didn't acknowledge his presence._

_Suddenly, a card spun before him.  Jerking to a halt, it revealed itself to be a card very familiar to him, as he had helped Sakura capture it long ago:  The Time card.  Without any help from him or the girl ahead of him, it activated._

_He himself seemed to be immune to its effect, but everything else seemed to age and grow--even the girl.  Her image morphed, her curves becoming more accentuated, her hair growing long until it reached the middle of her back, and her height increasing considerably as well.  She had become much more beautiful; an enchanting lady, if he did say so himself.  Suddenly, he realized just what he was staring at:  the spit image of Artemis._

_Another card appeared before him, but one that he had never seen before.  In the center, where a picture should've been, there was nothing.  It was completely blank.  He looked down for the card's name, and found it quickly enough._

'The Lonely'…

_He glanced back up at the figure, only to see that she had disappeared.  He heard another scream._

Syaoran's eyes flew open suddenly and he sat up.

_A nightmare?_  His eyes instinctively turned to his side, where he had expected a reddish-brown-haired girl to be sleeping soundly.

She wasn't there.

Bed sheets scattered, forgotten, as he grabbed his sword belt and ran out the door of the room.  Once he was outside, he slipped it on over his clothing, which hadn't changed since the night before.  His legs kept moving, though he didn't really know where he was going.  He didn't need to--he followed the trace of a powerful aura that was slowly appearing nearby.  There was something wrong though.  The aura wasn't that of Sakura, but someone else; someone very powerful.  And… Star Cards?!

He understood now.  Or at least he understood partially.  Firstly, Artemis and Sakura were, indeed, the same person.  Somehow, she had lost the Star Cards to another, and whoever that person was, he had come back.  The Star Cards must've called out for Syaoran's help through his dreams.

But would he make it in time?

He forced his legs to run faster, past grocery stores, past the school that they had both grown up in.  Sakura's aura got stronger, but so did the other mysterious presence.  He saw it--Tomoeda Library.  He unsheathed his sword as he ran, completely disregarding the old "don't run with sharp objects" rule.  It didn't take him long to reach the small, run down building and burst inside, knowing fairly well what he'd find.

There was Artemis, or rather, Sakura.  She stood, just like she had in the dream, but the piercing screams were replaced by an even worse silence.  He began to move toward her, but as he did, he was stopped in his tracks by a sharp pain in his chest.  He collapsed to one knee just from the pain.  It felt worse than the beatings he received as a child when he didn't train hard enough.  No, this was far worse.  It felt like knives in his gut.  He leaned on the sword, trying to make it hold him up, and lifted his eyes to see if the girl in the darkness was alright.  She was, but something had appeared at Syaoran's side.

A brightly-colored, long robe met his eyes.

His gaze traveled upward, over an ankle-length, white beard, various embellishments, and the same terrifyingly dark aura he had sensed on his way there.  By the time his eyes stopped their brief journey, they were staring at the face of an aged man, with eyes like stone and a complexion to match.  His skin was as just as white as…

_Sakura!  _What did she have to do with this man?  And why was she just standing there?

The old man gave Syaoran a disdainful look, as if to smirk at his pain, then began walking toward the girl.  _The girl he had vowed to protect._

He tried to do something, anything to keep him from getting close to her, but the pain in his chest was agonizing.  He could barely breathe, let alone move.  It was all he could do to support himself, and he was forced to depend on his sword for that, as well.

So he watched as the mysterious figure approached the girl.  To his surprise--and relief--he merely glanced at her before turning the corner and raising his hands to a shelf.  There was a small, wooden drawer situated there, complete with a lock.  The man extracted a key from his robes, thick and laden with gold.  Opening the chest, he drew out a long, pink rod, which appeared to have a star-like decoration adorning one end.

_The Star Wand!_

The man thrust the wand toward the pale girl, who, moving for the first time since Syaoran's arrival, hesitantly accepted it.

He was finished sitting around like a cripple.  He could deal with this pain, just like he was forced to deal with the emotional pain of Sakura being gone for so long.  Sure, it sounded corny, but it was all the strength he needed to reach into his coat pocket and use his sword to activate the only solution he could think of.

"Hope!"

~*~

Sakura's eyes bolted opened, and her head jerked in the direction of the sound.  Her emerald orbs glistened for a moment, but they suddenly squinted shut as she was pinned against a bookshelf.  When she opened them, she found herself staring into the intense, amber eyes she knew could only belong to one person.

"Li…" she whispered.

He was so close that she could feel his breath on her lips.  She hadn't meant for it to be this way; she had meant to leave without having to say goodbye to him.  Now, he was so close to her…

For a brief, selfish moment, she didn't want to leave him behind.  Her heart began to race.

"Sakura…"

Almost as if on cue, she felt her body becoming swallowed up by the now familiar sensation of the crimson hole sinking into oblivion.  She gripped her slender, pink staff tightly as she began falling backward with an awkward rising feeling, as one would note when he or she becomes dizzy.  At least, this time, she wasn't alone.

~~~~

Alter-chan:  sorry folks, but i'm too lazy to do after-chapter duties today.

audience:  HIP, HIP, HOORAY!!!

Alter-chan:  -_-;  gee guys, don't look so disappointed... *_rolls eyes_*

review button:  click me... CLICK ME... *_mesmerizing swirlies_*

~AlterEthereal


	12. True

Identity's Past

by AlterEthereal

Syaoran returned to find his princess, but discovered she has been missing in action for years.  Now, a mysterious, distant girl has arrived in the city... could his princess be right under his nose?

*_groans_*  Stupid ACT... took Saturday morning... need spring break... starts on Friday... will sleep... lots... but not without updating, of course.  Hell, maybe I'll even get a chappie or two up sooner than expected.  Also, I'd like to thank... no... worship all the reviewers for taking the time to make me feel so happy!  I love you guys and seriously wish I could give you all hugs!  Anyway, this is the chapter where everything gets explained.  Finally.  Enjoy!  ^_^

Alter-chan:  lalalalalala....

Zuri:  i'm so confused...

*_they both stare at a big, red puddle in the middle of the floor_*

Anaru: *_whistles nonchalantly_*

Zuri: alright... i give.  what did you do to him?

Alter-chan:  oh who could you possibly mean?

Anaru: *_tries to suppress a smirk_* *_fails_*

Zuri: *_sighs frustratedly_* you know exactly who i mean...

Alter-chan: *_shifty eyes_* i dunno... Anaru, do you know who she's talking about?

Anaru: *_shakes head_* nope.

Zuri:  FINE!  just be that way!! *_stomps off_*

Alter-chan and Anaru: *_burst out laughing_*

Anaru: *_dries eyes_* since it was my idea, you have to do disclaimer.

Alter-chan: *_sighs_* alright, i guess it's only fair.  DISCLAIMER:  I don't own CCS and probably never will.  plus, even if someone did decide to sue me, they wouldn't get much 'cause i'm poor.  thank you.

~~~~

"Sakura…"

Almost as if on cue, she felt her body becoming swallowed up by the now familiar sensation of the crimson hole sinking into oblivion.  She gripped her slender, pink staff tightly as she began falling backward with an awkward rising feeling, as one would note when he or she becomes dizzy.  At least, this time, she wasn't alone.

~~~~

Chapter 12:  True

~~~~

"Li…"

He could feel her quick breaths on his lips.  He wanted desperately for her to stay, and it was almost like he had to trap her to be close to her.

"Li… please, wake up…"

_Wake up?  _His eyelids suddenly felt heavy, and he realized that they were closed.  _But how can that be?_

He began to pay attention to physical sensations.  Something beneath him was cold and hard, and his head felt like he had just thrown it against a brick wall.  He tried to turn over or find a more comfortable position, but found that something was preventing him from doing so.

Thin fingers were grasping his shoulder, shaking him lightly.

He moaned, trying to open his eyes but only succeeding in making them flutter lazily.  Those small hands shook him more violently, and allowed him the consciousness necessary to fully open his eyelids.

The first thing his not-so-fiery, amber eyes recognized was a pale girl with auburn hair and emerald eyes staring at him, concern written all over her face.

"Sa- Sakura?" he mumbled.

"Li!"  She suddenly embraced him (as best she could, as he was laying on the ground), seemingly quite relieved that he was alive.  They stayed quite content for a few moments, until she pulled away.

"What happened?  Where are we?"  He asked, noting her still-worried expression.

"I guess I've got a lot of explaining to do, huh?"

"Yeah, I'll say."

She leaned back and sat upright, allowing him to sit up himself.  It was still difficult, as he felt a tremendous amount of pain emanating from his left arm.  Pulling himself up with the rest of his body, he glanced down toward it to see his sleeve rolled up revealing a hastily-applied bandage, which was presently soaked in blood.

"I did what I could, but it really took a beating on the way down."  She seemed to sense the inquiry that accompanied his inspection of the wound.  "You probably shouldn't try to move it for a little while."

"How long was I down for?"

"Around an hour."

"I assume there are no clocks here?"

"How'd you guess?" she smiled bitterly, then sighed, preparing to explain the ordeal.  "Two or three years after you left for Hong Kong, I met this guy who was after the Star Cards.  He seemed to be connected to Clow Reed somehow, but I don't know much about that.  We got into an intense battle and… well, I guess our powers cancelled out, and this is where I wound up.  Think of it as a kind of cosmic waste dump.  People that don't belong anywhere are thrown here."

"You've been here before?"

"Yeah.  This is where I spent the last 4 and a half years of my life before you found me by the lake."

"Four and a half years?  How did you survive?" he was slightly shocked, to say the least.  

"I made friends.  There's a village not too far from here.  Apparently, I wasn't the first to arrive; people have been living down here for centuries."

"You couldn't escape?"

"Nope.  Not with every single Star Card I had.  They helped to keep me alive, though.  For a long time."

There was a long silence, during which Sakura stood up.  She extended an arm to him, which he gladly accepted, rising to his feet and being extremely cautious with his tender arm.  Once he was standing, however, he found that he felt light-headed.

"Whoa!  Be careful, would ya?  You're really starting to scare me!"

He suddenly realized that he had come close to falling, his only saving grace being the gentle, but strong arms Sakura had wrapped around him to prevent his collapse.  She then swung the good arm over her shoulder and helped him take the first few steps.

_Her helping me feels so strange… but so right.  She's become strong… probably even stronger than me… _He mused to himself as they traveled.  _I wonder… no, I hope… that she'll always be here, by my side… always._

~*~

They had been walking for some time now, and Sakura was beginning to feel uneasy with the silence.  She decided that she might as well tell him the rest of her story.

"Li?" she began hesitantly.

"You can call me Syaoran, you know."

This made her smile, despite the thoughts that were running through her mind.  "Syaoran?"

"Yes?"

"There's something else I have to tell you.  About why I kept my identity a secret."

He raised an eyebrow, seeming to be interested.  "Go on."

"The only way for me to go back was to strike a deal with the same man that got me here in the first place.  He's the one that took the wand and the Star Cards."  She sighed.  "He didn't tell me the final condition until we were already on the surface.  You see, there was still one other person who could've posed a threat to his power.  He ordered me to kill that person, or else he would send me back to this 'cosmic waste dump.'  I wasn't really left with any options, so I accepted."  Her head hung low, for the first time feeling the true shame behind what she was about to tell him.

"Sakura…" She looked up, and there was care in his eyes.  He let his arm slip down off her shoulder and around her waist.  "Why don't we take a rest for a while?"

She nodded her head, almost solemnly, and led him to the nearest cave.  Coincidentally, it turned out to be the same one in which she had first glimpsed humanity during her last trip.  They sat down on the flat, stone ground, and although it was rather cold, it was refreshing to be off of their feet.

"Should I… keep going?"

"If you want to."

Yes, it was painful, even a little embarrassing.  But she would need his help later, so it was important that he understand everything that had happened.

"The person I was sent to kill," she breathed, "was you."

The boy's eyes widened in shock, and Sakura could feel tears beginning to form in her eyes.  She tried to blink them back.

"I couldn't bear to make you suffer the knowledge of what I had to do, or for you to break down when I realized I couldn't do it and had to leave again.  So I created Artemis, a quiet, antisocial girl bent on not letting anyone get close to her.  I thought that I could stay distant from you, that at least one of us wouldn't be sad in the end.  But then I fell in love with you… all over again."

As hard as she tried, she couldn't contain the tears any longer.  The stream of clear, warm drops poured down her cheeks silently.

She felt overwhelmingly weak.  Suddenly everything that had happened rehashed in her mind, all the mistakes she had made because of her weakness.

She had been too weak to defeat her enemy in the beginning… too weak to refuse the deal regarding the safety of the Star Cards… too weak to face Syaoran with her true identity… too weak to carry out her agreement… too weak to leave without saying goodbye…

She suddenly felt a gentle finger brush away her falling tears and raised her eyes to meet soft, but vibrant amber ones.

"Part of being strong is knowing when to be weak and let your guard down."  He almost whispered, as if he had seen her very soul in her eyes.  She let herself fall into his waiting embrace and wrapped her arms around his midsection in return, remembering the aching uncertainty when she had found him unconscious on the ground, and bleeding profusely, at that.  "I love you, Sakura, whether you're strong or you're weak."

Her eyelids fell shut as she felt his lips close passionately around hers--Sakura Avalon's first true kiss.

~~~~

Alter-chan:  geez, that was long.  hope you all enjoyed!

Anaru:  what was enjoyable about it?  it was complete sap.  so fluffy... *_shudders_*

Alter-chan:  so it was long and fluffy.  like one of those cashmere scarves... *_eyes get all glazed over_* *_runs off to buy a cashmere scarf_*

Anaru: *_rolls eyes_*  whatever.  anyway, please review.

~AlterEthereal


	13. Bittersweet

Identity's Past

by AlterEthereal

Syaoran returned to find his princess, but discovered that she has been missing in action for years.  Now, a mysterious, distant girl has arrived in the city... could his princess be right under his nose?

Oh, Spring Break!  Glory be unto thee!  ^_^  Anyway, I threw something unexpected into this chapter... it's... humor?!  No way!!!  lol.  Also, before we get this thing underweigh, I'd like to thank all the reviewers... *ahem* Tramie, Sheruke, and orlha!  You guys rock my socks.  We should all get together sometime and have ice cream cones and giggle and stuff like that.  mmm... ice cream... *_hits self with frying pan_*  NO!!!!  NO ICE CREAM!!  JUST CARROTS AND CELERY!!!  *_cries_*  Anyway, enjoy!  ^_^

Zuri: *_sobbing_*

So: what's the matter with her?

Anaru: *_whispers something in So's ear_*

So: ooooh... *_smirks_*

Zuri:  it's not funny you guys!

Alter-chan: *_appears wearing a cashmere scarf_* oh, but it is!

Leif: *_strolling in casually_* hey guys.  what's up?

everyone:  O_O

everyone but Zuri:  HEY!  YOU TOTALLY RUINED IT!!

Leif: *_blinks_* ruined what?

Alter-chan:  that's it.  you're doing disclaimer.

Leif:  O_o  but i... oh nevermind.  DISCLAIMER:  Alter-chan doesn't own CCS, sadly for her.

Alter-chan:  T_T  yes, yes...

~~~~

Chapter 13:  Bittersweet

~~~~

And it was everything Sakura wanted--to hear him say those words, to feel his lips caress her own, to taste his sweet, cinnamon breath… but it was bittersweet.  A fresh set of tears came to her eyes.

The passion faded, and Syaoran stared into her emerald eyes with his searching amber ones.  "Why are you crying?"

"You shouldn't be here… you could die!"  Her voice was filled with both panic and worry.  "And without the Star Cards, I wouldn't be able to protect you… or anyone…" she averted her gaze.

"Someone speaking of protection shouldn't cry for nothing," he replied calmly, reaching into his coat pocket.

Sakura's eyes widened at what he extracted.  There, in his safe hands, was the thin deck of pink cards, each with a yellow star in the center and a small sun and moon gracing its ends.

"But how did you…?" she gasped in disbelief.

"Strangely enough, I used a card that you created."  He pulled the card from the bottom and flipped it over, revealing the picture of a tiny red heart with wings and a crown, all above letters that spelled "The Hope."

"But I… I thought it was destroyed!"

"Lost, not destroyed.  I found it when I went looking for you."

"You... looked for me?"  She blushed slightly.

"Sakura… of course.  I wouldn't have been able to sleep at night knowing that I hadn't done everything in my power to find you.  In fact, I still had trouble sleeping even after I practically tore the world apart looking."  He turned his attention back to the subject at hand, replacing the card at the bottom of the deck.  "When I activated the card, I wasn't quite sure what would happen, but it looks like it tapped into my deepest hopes and made them a reality.  You see, my deepest hope was that I would be able to save you and the Star Cards."

"And that you did." She added, rather softly.

Syaoran raised her chin with a gentle finger.  Sakura secretly loved staring into his wild, amber eyes.  She felt like she could get lost in those pools of melted gold, especially when they gazed back at her so lovingly.  "I'm glad," he murmured, "that you're alright.  You have no idea how much I missed you.  Even when you were right in front of me."

He kissed her again, almost desperately.  She began to realize just how lucky she was:  she'd been blessed with not one, but two first kisses, both of which were given to her by the boy she loved most.  As Sakura, she felt free to express her love for the messy-haired boy, but as Artemis, she was restricted by duty.  Even then, however, she wasn't able to contain what she felt for him.  When he had kissed her, she had once again felt that overwhelming, wonderful freedom that made her happy to be Sakura Avalon.  Unfortunately, that bliss only lasted a short few moments before the realization kicked in that she was _not_ Sakura Avalon.

Now, bliss would be allowed to run its full course.

~*~

The next hour or so was spent with Sakura's "children."  Syaoran wondered for a moment with amusement if that would make him their father, but then dismissed the topic with a small smirk and a chuckle, neither of which Sakura seemed to notice.  She released each card in turn, while the boy looked on at the delighted girl before him.  He watched her viridian eyes glisten with joy as she beheld the cards she had grown to love and care for, wondering how she had dealt with being apart from them.  She must've made a lot of sacrifices to be with her family and friends, he decided.  Did those people really mean that much to her?

Suddenly, Syaoran remembered a certain image he had seen in the dream the night before:  "The Lonely."  That card was not a part of the original collection, he knew, so it had to have been created during the time she spent here.

"How long were you down here, Sakura?"

At first, the auburn-haired girl seemed slightly taken aback, that being the first thing he'd said in a while.  She recovered quickly, however, and seemed to think it over for a few moments before giving him a reply.

"I guess I was down here for around four and a half years.  Why?"

"You must've been lonely."

She shrugged.  "I survived."

There was an overly-haughty tone in her voice that Syaoran knew meant that she was trying to seem tough, which he found rather cute.

"How long was it before you found that village?

"A few months, maybe.  Actually, we landed pretty close to it… it's only about a days walk from here."

"Really…" he mumbled distractedly, watching her pull The Sleep from the deck.  A not-so-grand thought struck him.  "You know, Sakura, if we get some rest now, we can probably get there sometime tomorrow, ahead of that robed guy you were with in the library.  Doubtless he's trying to get there, too."

Syaoran could just see the light flicker on in her head as she caught on to what he was saying.  "Then maybe we should just walk on through."

"No, we'll probably both need our strength when we get there, so overdoing it isn't an option.  But we will need to get on our way as soon as possible."

"I see your point," she replied, tucking the cards away at her waist the way she always had.  She strolled over to a waiting Syaoran, who promptly lay down and shut his eyes.  He felt a warm body lie down beside him and sniffed the familiar scent of the hair that grazed his nose.  She snuggled up against him, and he responded by wrapping his arm around her waist as only a lover could.

"Goodnight... Sakura," he whispered.

And soon they slept, bodies pressed against each other for warmth--and perhaps a little for something else.

~*~

After a while, Sakura slowly came to consciousness in the cave.

_It was all a dream?  _She wondered for a few moments whether meeting the sapphire-eyed boy, the village, and even Syaoran was all just a big, elaborate play in her subconscious and she was really still searching for signs of life in the tunnels after the battle with the old man.  Then, however, she realized that the reason her body felt hot wasn't because she was with Syaoran in the "dream," but because there was hot breath on the back of her neck.  She groggily opened an eye, and noted the arm around her midsection, breathing a sigh of relief.  She also blushed madly.

She rolled herself over, being careful not to disturb the arm around her--for some odd reason, she liked it there--and found herself face to face with intense, amber eyes.

"GAAAHH!!!" she jumped back about ten feet.  "Y-You've been awake?" she stammered.  Syaoran, meanwhile, had burst into laughter and was trying hard not to go into convulsions.

Once the boy managed to calm himself down a bit, he wiped his wet eyes with a forearm and looked up to see a scowling woman above him.  "I swear, Sakura, waking up with you in my arms is the greatest thing in the world.  Not to mention the funniest."

~~~~

Zuri: *_runs over and practically squeezes Leif to death_*  YOU'RE NOT DEAD!!!

everyone but Zuri and Leif:  -_-;

Anaru:  no, but he will be pretty soon, it looks like.

Zuri:  Leif...?

Leif:  X_x

So: *_sarcastically_* it's a bunny, it's a bunny...

Alter-chan:  lol.  well, lets hope that Leif recovers before next chappie, shall we?  in the meantime, please review!  ^_^

~AlterEthereal


	14. Truck On a Freeway

Identity's Past

by AlterEthereal

Syaoran returned to find his princess, but discovered she has been missing in action for years.  Now, a mysterious, distant girl has arrived in the city... could his princess be right under his nose?

Hey guys!!  Happy Easter!  (to all who celebrate, of course  ^_^)  I'd like to once again thank the reviewers:  Tramie, sapphire999, and sweet-captor!  Why?  Because... well because... well 'cause they're awesome!  *_tear_* Actually, it wasn't that hard to find a reason to praise you... just look at the review count!  Woohoo!!  And, as a "thank you" and an Easter present [w00t, look what the Easter Bunny dropped in, ne?], I have given you TWO chappies for the price of ONE!!!  lol.  Enjoy, guys.  This is for you.  ^_^

Alter-chan:  geez, this sure is boring.  i need to go find someone to pester.

*_Alter-chan walks around looking for someone and finds So on her laptop_*

Alter-chan:  hey, So!  whatcha up to?

So:  sore wa himitsu desu.

Alter-chan:  O_o  hey!  that's MY line!

So:  it is not.  you stole it from RobinIV's fic "Anime Character Humiliation Match."

Alter-chan:  -_-;  oh, shut up.

So:  ok.

*_silence for a while_*

Alter-chan:  that's it.. i've gotta say something, here... DISCLAIMER:  I don't own CCS.  I never have and I never will.  therefore, this disclaimer is useless.

disclaimer: *_cries_*

~~~~

Chapter 14:  Truck (On a Freeway)

~~~~

Sakura knew she couldn't stay angry with Syaoran, so she gathered as much spite as she could muster, looking at his boyish expression, and kicked his leg.  Still, the blow was too gentle to be called punishment, so she sighed instead.

"Come on, lets check your arm."

~*~

The wound had already stopped bleeding, and was healing rather well.  Syaoran watched as the emerald-eyed beauty carefully removed the bandage from his arm and washed it clean in the cool water of the cave.  It stung slightly, but he didn't mind.  He'd had worse injuries before; he was only letting Sakura baby him because he enjoyed knowing she cared.  Not to mention that her touch felt like warm silk on his skin.

They sat on the edge of the clear water until she seemed satisfied with the cleanliness of the wound and had rebandaged it.  He admitted, it felt much better now than it had the day before, and he could already move it freely without making it bleed again.  She ran her hand once more down the length of his arm, but this time, it sent an electric current through his entire body.

She rose, he followed.  They still stood at the edge of the lake, its placid waters rippling away from them.

"Thank you," he said, forming a smile on his face he knew would make her melt.  Sure enough, her response was so weak-kneed he almost thought she'd collapse.

"Y- You're welcome, Syaoran."

He wound his arms around her waist, and she seemed quite happy to lay her weight on him.  He pulled her closer and nuzzled her nose with his, then brushed their lips together, so lightly he wasn't entirely sure he had.  He tugged gently at the bows on her cape, and they came loose without much notice on her part.  Without her boots and cape, her outfit looked like nothing more than a swimsuit.

Suddenly, he began to pull away, leaning toward the water.  It was deliberate, of course--he still held her arms.

"What are you doing?" she asked nervously as she began to tip.

"Come on, Sakura, live a little..." he trailed off as he felt himself splash into the cool water, the girl following directly.  Still attached, they made their way to the shallows and floated to the surface.  Syaoran found her waist and put his arms around her from behind, taking great delight in just holding her there, feeling her against him.  She trembled, and he wrapped himself around her, murmured into her ear.

"Once we're back home," he whispered, "we'll go to the beach.  Just you and me.  The water will be warmer, I promise."  By now, he could feel the heat conducted between the two of them, despite how cold the water was.  Afraid he would scare her, he unwrapped himself and drifted to be in front of her, taking her hands lightly.  For the first time, he noticed that she had used the bandage from her own hand to wrap the wound on his arm--it must've been one of the most considerate things anyone had ever done for him.

"Syaoran?"  Her voice snapped him out of his daze.  "Come back.  You were warm."

Slightly surprised, he obeyed, wrapping his limbs around her once more.  He felt her body tense a bit, then relax as she let out a contented sigh and let her eyelids droop.

"You promise?" she muttered peacefully.

"What?"

"That the water will be warmer.  You promise?"

~*~

Thank goodness for The Firey.  Once they had gotten out of the water, Syaoran was no longer wrapped around her waist to warm her, and her lips had long since turned a shade of purple from the cold.  She reluctantly admitted to herself, however, that it wasn't just the warmth that made her cling to him--she had pretended not to notice, but it seemed inescapable.  The sparks that flew when he touched made her blush just remembering.  She suddenly wished she were young again; when they were ten, they didn't have to deal with this.  It distracted her.

An elbow poked her arm lightly, and she snapped out of her reverie to look at the boy walking beside her.

"What are you spacing out about?" he asked.

"Me?  Nothing, I don't know what you're talking about."

"You almost ran into a wall."

She blushed again, harder.  "Well, I..."

He scoffed and rolled his eyes.  "Here, let me help you out.  'I was so distracted that I almost ran into a wall because...'"

"...because I can't stop thinking..." she paused again.

"'...about...'"

"...about..."

"'..._about_...'" he sighed frustratedly.

"...about _you_ damnit!  I can't get my mind off of you!  You're right beside me and I'm acting like a silly school girl confronted by her first crush!" she yelled, finally able to say it, thanks to Syaoran's not-so-gentle prodding.

She noticed that they had stopped walking, and were now facing each other.  She didn't dare look up at his face, afraid that his eyes would show anger, mock, or some other unreadable emotion, so she instead stared at his shoes.  She had never really noticed just how scuffed-up they were... after all, one would think that the future leader of a clan of warriors would have the best shoes around, right?  Come to think of it, why wasn't he with the rest of his clan anyway?  She let the questions tumble around in her head...

Suddenly, she noted him shifting his feet.

"Was that all it was?  Geez, Sakura.  You really are a nervous one, aren't you?"  His amused tone shocked her into looking at his face, only to see a playful smirk.  "It's just hormones."

Her face reddened even more.  "Hormones that hit you like a truck on a freeway?"

"Sometimes..." he replied innocently, turning his eyes away himself as if to say it wasn't his fault.

Frustrated by his attitude, Sakura turned forward to walk again and groaned, forgetting the questions that roamed her brain only moments ago.  "Oh, I don't even know why I bother with you."

"Yes you do."

She rolled her eyes and kept walking.

Neither said anything else, and Sakura was careful not to run into any more walls.

And so they walked in silence.

~~~~

Alter-chan:  well that was all complete and utter fluff.  yes, fluff.

Zuri: *_appearing from out of thin air_*  WE'RE TOUGH!  NOT FLUFF!!

Alter-chan:  -_-;

Bob [speed team coach]:  that's right, Zuri!  TNF!  TNF!  TNF!

Alter-chan:  O_o  oh my gosh... i'm ending this chapter before things get any stupider...  onward with the reviews!

~AlterEthereal


	15. Sorina

Identity's Past

by AlterEthereal

Syaoran returned to find his princess, but discovered she has been missing in action for years.  Now, a mysterious, distant girl has arrived in the city... could his princess be right under his nose?

Happy Easter!!!  Again!!!  lol.  Well, a couple of you guys were wondering about who exactly the weird robed guy was.  It wasn't really explained in the dream (yes, guys, remember, I'm still working off a dream, here), so I used my awesome artistic powers to make something up.  Hope it satisfies.  Enjoy!  ^_^

Bob:  TNF!  TNF!  TNF!!

Alter-chan:  geez, doesn't he ever give up?

Zuri:  oh c'mon, have some spirit, Kaya!

Alter-chan:  no!  *_crosses arms and pouts lips_*

Anaru:  um, who's that crazy guy screaming the alphabet over there?

Bob:  ABC!  DEF!  GHI!!

Alter-chan: *_drags Zuri away from Bob_* uh... we don't know him.  he was just doing disclaimer for us.

Bob:  DIS!  CLA!  IME!  uh... R!!  Alter-chan!  Doesn't own!  CCS!!

everyone but Bob: *_scoots further away_*  O_o

~~~~

Chapter 15:  Sorina

~~~~

Just as Sakura had said, it was about a day's walk to the village.  She and Syaoran chatted a bit throughout the journey, mostly about things that had happened in each other's absence.  Sakura explained all that she knew about the robed man, as well.

Apparently, he was Clow Reed's former rival, Wu Tai.  They had never been on good terms, and once, when the man made a brash attempt to steal the Clow Cards, the mighty sorcerer had managed to seal him in the caves.  Somehow, he had escaped.

This was all that the two teenagers were able to piece together, with Sakura's stories and Syaoran's knowledge of Clow Reed's life.  It was enough, though, to know that Wu Tai _must be stopped._

As the two travelers neared the village that Sakura had come close to calling home, they began to notice signs of life.  The lights Sakura had helped hang still lit the corridors a little ways from the village, and a few crude tools lay about the ground once in a while.  They heard voices; although Syaoran heard them, Sakura was the only one who could understand them, even as they were within less than half a mile of the town.

The voices she heard seemed somewhat hasty, almost disconnected in a way.  She tried to listen more carefully, but it wasn't until they were within about a quarter of a mile that she could make out a few scattered phrases.  She definitely did _not_ like what she thought she was hearing.

Her steps almost unconsciously quickened, and she was so intent on listening to the frantic voices of the villagers that she didn't even notice Syaoran's eyes prying at her from her side until he spoke.

~*~

Sakura's pace began to speed up, for some reason Syaoran couldn't think of.

"What's the rush?"

"I can hear them... the voices.  Hurry, I think someone's in trouble down there."

And with that, their brisk walk turned to a jog.  Sakura lead them down winding corridors, some filled with light and some pitch black, obviously taking backroutes.  They eventually made a turn into a dark, alley-like corridor, where a light shone through a rather small opening in a rock-face wall--it was a dead end.  The emerald-eyed girl broke into a full run.

When she reached the wall, she patted it several times, seeming to look for a weak spot where she could knock it down.  However, it seemed to be tightly sealed.  She pounded her fist* against the rock.

"Damnit!  They must've melted it shut!"

Syaoran just stood and stared from a short distance, not sure whether he should ask her what was going on or wait for Sakura to take it into her own hands, as she probably would sooner or later.

"Well, we're not going all the way back around, so..."  A pale hand graced the girl's waist and removed one of the small, pink cards that had been nestled there.

Well that answered that question.

She shouted something at the wall in a succession of strange, complex sounds Syaoran could only guess was the language she learned here, then a word he knew all too well.

"Power!"

And with a few flicks of her wrists, a swing or two of the Star Wand, the creature was released from its imprisonment.  The light was close to blinding compared to the darkness of the tunnel, but the figure of the Power was still breath-takingly clear.  The beautiful and bright maiden waited for her mistress's instructions.

"Break down the wall!"

Within an instant, the Power had smashed through the solid rock, revealing a good helping of the light that had once shone through the crack in the rock.  Dust clouded the newfound doorway as the creature returned to its confinement, leaving Sakura and Syaoran to make their way through.

Once Syaoran was out of the dust cloud, he was free to look at his surroundings.  The village was crude, indeed:  small cottages made of twigs, cloth, and stone, no source of natural light, a large lake near the back of the cave, a few patches of dirt here and there.  Although it was primitive, he could see random traces of modern technology--a telephone here, a sewing machine there--obviously Sakura's doing.  There was no sunlight, but a few halogen light bulbs hung on the roof of the cave to replace it.  No wonder they were disappointed when she left.  Speaking of "they," a large crowd of people seemed to be congregating before the visitors.

It was then that Syaoran realized Sakura had begun speaking in that strange tongue again.  He vaguely heard her name among the other "words," and assumed she was identifying herself.  Once she was finished, the people seemed pacified, and one little girl from the crowd, perhaps 3 or 4 years old, hesitantly began to walk toward them.  She wore dirty clothes and had messy, blonde hair, but a clean face and gentle, gray-blue eyes.  Her puckered lips were presently sucking on a couple of the fingers on her hand, and the eyes of the caustic warrior softened, gazing upon the girl's innocent expression.  He had to admit, she was cute.

The girl suddenly let her hand fall from her mouth and rushed over to Sakura, who enveloped her in a giggling hug.  The boy watched as she murmured something soft to the child then picked her up and rested the little one on her hip.

Syaoran began to feel the everyone's eyes turn his way, including Sakura's.  She gestured toward him and spoke to the people, throwing his name in there somewhere.  He realized he was being introduced, and bowed slightly.  Sakura then turned completely toward him, ignoring the rest of the villagers, who were beginning to scatter, going back to their previous business.

"And Li Syaoran, this is little Sorina.  She was born a few months after I arrived here.  I was told her name means 'sun' in these people's ancient language."

Sorina again had her hand in her mouth and was looking up at Syaoran through her thick eyelashes shyly.

"She's really very... cute."

"Isn't she though?  Her brother is a friend of mine, the one who found me in the caves when I first arrived."**

"Really..."  Syaoran asked distractedly.  It wasn't that the topic didn't interest him, but the little girl's name seemed a bit familiar--like he had heard it once or twice somewhere before.  In a class back home, perhaps.  It wasn't horribly important, but the thought crossed his mind that if he could remember where the name came from, it may be able to uncover the origin of the village.  After all, Sakura did say it was their "ancient language," did she not?  Suddenly, his thoughts were cut off.

"Sorina!"

~~~~

*lol her left fist... the right one is still bruised up.  ^_^

**foster-brother, really.

~~~~

Alter-chan:  w00t!  who could that be?  lol.  don't you guys just hate me for cutting it there?

reviewers: *_glare at Alter-chan_*

Alter-chan:  ^_^;  heh heh... um...

~AlterEthereal


	16. Understanding

Identity's Past

by AlterEthereal

Syaoran returned to find his princess, but discovered she has been missing in action for years.  Now, a mysterious, distant girl has arrived in the city... could his princess be right under his nose?

Well guys, I've managed to bust out another chapter before going back into school mode.  If I can, I'll work out another chappie by Sunday, but after that, I'm afraid it's back to week-long waits between chappies.

everyone (including the authoress):  *_whines_*

Anyway, until then, I'm gonna ham it up, starting by thanking all the wonderful reviewers:  sapphire999, Tramie, and AniMeCrAzy273!!  Thanx, guys!  All your reviews make me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside!  lol!  And yes, we do indeed get to learn more about that crazy village!  Aren't ya just thrilled??  Also, I'm working on a story posted at fictionpress.com.  my penname there is the same as my penname here, and I'm under "manga..." what else?  lol.  anyway, Enjoy!  ^_^

Alter-chan:  yeah, i'll bet you guys have been wondering why the authoress classified this thing under "action/adventure" when so far practically the entire story has been alternating between fluff and angst.  well, the action is comin' soon.

Bob:  TNF!  TNF!  TNF!!

Alter-chan:  that's right, Bob, Syaoran and Sakura are tough, not fluff.  -_-;

Zuri:  but Syaoran's hair is kinda fluffy... ooooh  O.O  *_stares at old CCS reruns_*

Sophia and Anaru: *_drag Zuri and Bob off to a mental hospital_*

Leif:  ne, don't you think that was just a little harsh?

Alter-chan:  NO!!

Leif: *_cowers in corner_*

Alter-chan:  that's better.  no one questions the great and powerful authoress!!  MUA HA HA HA HA!!  now, i guess i'll just get the disclaimer over with, since i'm too lazy to pester anyone into it today.  DISCLAIMER:  I, AlterEthereal, do not own Card Captor Sakura or any characters thereforth associated.  I do, however, own the AlterEthereal crew, Felix, Sorina, and Wu Tai, as well as all those crazy villagers down there.  *_grins stupidly_*

~~~~

Chapter 16:  Understanding

~~~~

Syaoran watched as the little girl wriggled out of Sakura's grasp and slid down to the ground.  His gaze drifted upward to Sakura's face, only to see that she seemed to be in a trance, herself.  Now he looked in the direction of the voice as well.

A dark-haired boy with clear, sapphire-blue eyes stood at a distance, staring intently at the newcomers.  Sorina ran to him and threw herself around his leg, causing him to break his gaze and focus on the child at his feet.  He kneeled down and allowed a small smile to adorn his lips, raising a hand to gently mess up the little girl's hair.  Bending over slightly, he whispered something into her ear, causing the child to giggle lightly.  He stood back up and watched as Sorina skipped off toward the small cluster of huts nearby.

Sakura was still staring.  "Felix..." she mumbled, much to Syaoran's surprise.  What surprised him even more was when she suddenly took off in the strange boy's direction--no warning, no goodbye, not even a glance.  _What the...?_

He felt a sharp jolt in his chest when Sakura threw her arms around the boy's neck and hugged him ferociously.  Was he feeling a hint of… jealousy?  Yes, definitely jealousy.  Hell, he was all but outraged by this strong display of affection.

_Who the hell is this guy? _ he thought angrily.

Sakura let the boy go... or at least his neck.  She then grabbed his arm and began dragging him back in Syaoran's direction.  Meanwhile, the amber-eyed boy was about ready to run off and sulk somewhere by himself.  When Sakura arrived, he had a glare on his face to be matched by no other.  She, however, didn't seem fazed.

"Syaoran, this is Felix.  He was the first friend I made down here, and he's kinda been like a brother to me ever since."

_A brother, huh?  _"Hn..." was Syaoran's immaculate response.  "Nice to meet you."

The other boy raised an eyebrow ever-so-slightly, then looked to Sakura.  Obviously, he had no idea what was being said.  Sakura translated easily, moving fluently between the two languages like water.

[Here's how it rings out:

_Sakura:  He's the boy I told you about._

_Felix:  But what's he doing here?_

_Sakura:  I... had to come back, and he followed me._

_Felix:  Tell him I said if he doesn't take care of you, I'll kill him._

_Sakura:  "He says that if you don't take care of me, he'll kill you."_

_Syaoran:  "Oooh, I'm shaking in my boots."_

_Sakura:  He says he'll do his best._]

The blue-eyed boy extended a hand toward Syaoran, who reluctantly took it.  He had been sure a rivalry would ensue between them, but that preconception melted away as Felix's expression contorted into an oddly familiar smirk.  Syaoran scanned his memory, trying to think of where he'd seen that look before, when suddenly he realized:  it was the same look that was plastered on his own face most of the time.

Syaoran flashed his own smirk and tightened his grip on the other boy's hand.  Felix followed suit, and by the time they let go of each other's hand, Syaoran knew they had a "mutual understanding."  Not about Sakura, who seemed completely oblivious to the entire ordeal, but more like a certain respect a man has for another when he admits they may be equal.  Sakura would be a different story.

His attention turned to the the woman in question, but she seemed to be listening intently to something being said a few meters away.  After a few moments, she turned to the two boys and muttered something--first in the strange language, and then in one Syaoran could understand.

"I'll be back, ok?  You two stay here."

Syaoran nodded his reply and watched as Sakura drifted away toward a small group of people nearby.  He turned his gaze toward Felix, who had apparently also been watching her.  Their eyes met for a few moments, during which the blue-eyed boy raised an brow questioningly.  He glanced toward Sakura and then back to Syaoran, asking a wordless question his companion understood perfectly.

Syaoran smirked then nodded once, putting the look in his eyes that silently claimed the emerald-eyed beauty.  And so the two boys waited for her to come back.

When Sakura returned, however, there was a severely distraught look on her face that Syaoran knew meant one thing:  trouble!

~*~

Sakura was terrified as she ran to the two waiting boys.

"Syaoran!  One of the villagers is missing!  I'm afraid it's..."

The smug look that adorned Syaoran's face for some reason that Sakura wasn't sure of quickly disappeared, being replaced by worry.  He closed the short distance between them and, taking her into his arms, shushed her, as she was on the verge of panic and tears.  "It's Wu Tai.  I understand.  Calm down now, and tell me what happened."

"A boy went out to hunt yesterday and hasn't come back," Sakura sobbed.  "It's him, I just know it's him!  This is all my fault for getting the village mixed up in this..."

"Shh, Sakura, it's not your fault.  He's the one who sent us down here; he's probably been planning this."

She rested herself in his strong arms, realizing how right he was.  That, of course, didn't mean it was painless.  _She_ was the one he was after.  Why did he have to put innocent people in the middle?

"Come on, Sakura.  We have to go after him."

"_We?_"

"Yeah, _we._  He wants both of us dead, right?  Well, then, he'll have to get through both of us."

Sakura looked up at him with hopeful eyes.  "You mean it?"

"Yeah.  Now let's go kick his scrawny, robed ass!"

She couldn't help but giggle at his choice of words, as well as the smirk he bore on his handsome face.  It was the same one he used to use when they were out hunting for cards.  She almost reluctantly lifted herself from his embrace and looked around, suddenly noticing something--or rather, a lack of something.

"Felix... what happened to Felix?"

"Eh, I probably scared him off."

His macho statement was met by an elbow in the side.  "Syaoran!"

~~~~

Alter-chan:  so do you guys like the cool village so far?

Leif: *_still cowering in the corner, now rocking back and forth on his heels_*

Bob and Zuri: *_off in the mental hospital_*

Sophia and Anaru: *coming back*

Alter-chan:  hey, um, i think we have another one for the funny farm... *_points to Leif_*

Sophia and Anaru:  -_-;  *_drag Leif off_*

~AlterEthereal


	17. Bound

Identity's Past

by AlterEthereal

Syaoran returned to find his princess, but discovered she has been missing in action for years.  Now, a mysterious, distant girl has arrived in the city... could his princess be right under his nose?

OH NO!!!  Last day of spring break is upon us!!!  Well, it's upon me, anyway.  And I would like to say that I am very saddened and I will still try my best to update asap--whenever that turns out to be.  So please be nice and patient with me, k guys?  Much love also goes out to the reviewers:  orlha, linda-liu, and Tramie!  Thanx, guys, you rock my socks!  And here is your promised chapter.  Enjoy!  ^_^

Alter-chan:  um... we seem to have this problem...

So:  the psychiatrists said that all our insane friends were fine and sent them back...

Anaru:  and they brought some other insane kid with them.

Yugi: *_from _silver-dagger-113_'s fic "_Marik's Boring Day_"_*  YO HO!  ^___^

Alter-chan:  -_-;  can we make him do disclaimer?

Yugi:  YO HO!  ^___^

So:  i guess that's a "no"...

Alter-chan:  fine.  how about we make the one rocking back and forth on his heels do it?

Leif: *_rocking back and forth on his heels mumbling something about a scary authoress_*

Anaru:  *_quirks eyebrow_* ...

Alter-chan:  nevermind... i'll just do it myself. *_sighs_* DISCLAIMER:  I don't own CCS.  we clear on that now, people?

people: *_nod_*

Alter-chan:  great!  on with the show!  ^_~

~~~~

Chapter 17:  Bound

~~~~

As she ran through the tunnels, Syaoran at her side, she let her thoughts drift back to the village and Felix's sudden disappearance.

_Where could he have gone in such a rush?  _she asked herself.

She was so busy with her thoughts that she didn't realize what was in front of her.

"Sakura!"  She felt a sharp pull on her arm, stopping her in her tracks and spinning her in the direction of the tug.  It was Syaoran.

"Geez, what is with you today?  So distracted..."

"I'm just... worried, is all.  The entire village is in danger and it's my fault."

"Relax.  The village can take care of itself, especially with that... uh... what's-his-name guy you like so much protecting it."  Sakura sighed.  There really wasn't much use in arguing with him, as he was always right anyway.  "Besides, we've got other things to worry about.  Like that nice, big cavern you almost fell into."

For the first time, Sakura turned around and looked at what was there.  Sure enough, a "nice, big cavern" was right in front of her.

"Well that's weird... I'm sure this thing wasn't here before."

"Not surprising.  Look what's on the other side."

She squinted to see what the boy was talking about, only to gasp when she found it was a small, human like form bound in ropes and gagged.  "How do we get to the other side?"

He shrugged, as if it didn't matter.  "I guess we can't scale the walls or anything... the kid will have starved by the time we got over there.  I'm taking it you probably don't want to jump..."

Sakura shook her head quickly, staring out at the vast expanse of wide open air in between them and their target.  It looked like roughly 700 ft from one side to the other.

"Then the only other option is to fly."

"Wha...?"  Her eyes widened and she thought for a moment that Syaoran had actually lost it, but then she slowly began to realize what he was getting at.  "But the Fly Card doesn't work on the staff anymore!  Ever since Eli made that huge teddy bear attack the city..."  Sakura stopped, noticing that the chocolate-haired boy was trying unsuccessfully not to laugh at the memory.  She rolled her eyes and mumbled, "useless..."

"Sorry... it's just so funny now, to think of a giant teddy bear rampaging around Tomoeda."

Now, even she found it hard to suppress a chuckle.  For the first time, she pictured an old black and white movie with a fuzzy screen on which a giant teddy bear was stomping around a city, people running around screaming in the streets below.  Sakura all out laughed at the scene playing in her imagination.  "You're right, as usual.  I never really thought about it that way when I was little."

"Don't worry, we'll have the rest of our lives to reminisce."

"The rest of our lives...?"

"Well duh, you know I'm going to marry you eventually."

Sakura turned about 500 shades of red in that moment.  How did they get so off-topic?  She frustratedly turned her attention back to the matter at-hand, trying to ignore the horrible amount of color that still tinted her face.  "So how do you suggest we fly over?  We can't use the staff and I can't carry you."

"So give me the card.  I'll carry you, instead."

She was silent for a few moments, her face turning even redder, if humanly possible.

"Sakura?  Do you have a fever or some-"

"Fine!" she yelled, pulling the card from her waistband and thrusting it toward Syaoran.  "Here you go.  Let's just get this over with."

He accepted the card and shrugged again, but his amber eyes glinted devilishly.  Sakura didn't understand what that was all about, but then again, she wasn't sure she wanted to.

"Fly!"  He shouted, raising his sword to meet the thin, pink card.  Within moments he was surrounded by the aura of The Fly as it manifested into a pair of bright, feathered wings on his back.

Sakura couldn't help but stare.  It wasn't the first time she'd seen wings on a person; afterall, Yue and Keroberos both had wings, not to mention herself when she used The Fly.  On him, they just looked so... so...

"Are you coming?" he snapped her back to reality.

"Um... yeah..."  she nervously closed the distance between them, but didn't know what to do when she got there.  _Should I... put my arms around his neck?  or get on his back?  or what?_

She felt her cheeks getting warm again, but her thoughts were cut off when she was abruptly scooped up by strong, but gentle arms.

"Hold on tight and don't look down."

She stole a glance into his assuring, amber eyes before clasping her arms around his neck and burying her face in his shirt.

~*~

In his mind, he ran through every time he'd seen Sakura, Yue, and/or Keroberos fly, not to mention the entire bird chapter of his biology book, before flapping his wings awkwardly and taking off.  He didn't let his nervousness show, guessing that Sakura was nervous enough for both of them anyway.

Also, there was something strange about this situation, as if something was missing.

He shook off the feeling and tried to concentrate on not dropping the precious girl in his arms.

Before long, he found himself on the other side, gracefully lowering himself and Sakura onto the ledge where a now visibly human body lay, tied up and gagged.  Sakura climbed out of his arms apprehensively and ran to kneel beside the bound boy.  The boy started squirming, as if trying to get out of the ropes binding him.

Sakura made some strange sounds in the alien language that seemed to calm the boy down as she ungagged him.  Yes, she seemed to have that effect on people, Syaoran decided.

Suddenly, she let out a wince as she touched the ropes and what looked like an electric shock disintegrated as she pulled away.

"What is it, Sakura?"

"It- it shocked me!  The rope... there's a spell on it of some kind... I- I can't touch it!" she stuttered.

"Maybe if I use my sword to cut through it?"  He looked at her questioningly to gain her approval.

She nodded slowly and turned her attention to calming the child, whose eyes were beginning to glaze over with tears.  Syaoran unsheathed his sword and held it at his side, careful not to scare the boy as he moved around to kneel at his side with Sakura.  The woman whispered something to the boy, and he squinted his eyes shut in what Syaoran could only guess was anticipation.

"I feel like I'm performing surgery," he grunted.

"So does he.  Just be quick and careful about it."

Without replying, he grazed the sword across the top of the rope, using the sharp blade to pierce the sinews.  With a few quick swipes, he had the child free and clinging to Sakura.

"That was almost... easy."  Suddenly, Syaoran realized what--or rather, who--was missing and gasped.  "Sakura!  The village!"

"What about the village?" Sakura asked, a hint of worry dripping into her voice.

"Don't you see what's going on?  Wu Tai isn't here, we've left the village, and freeing this kid wasn't a challenge at all!  This entire situation was just designed to distract us!"

~~~~

Alter-chan:  Wu Tai is such a trickster, ne?  we should put him in the circus.  he looks like he belongs there, too.  i know saying that is kinda silly since you guys don't really know what he looks like, but...

So:  HE'S a trickster?  as i recall, YOU'RE the one who turned me and Anaru into characters from "Sleeping Beauty" and dragged us into role playing!!

Anaru: *_blushes discreetly_*

Alter-chan:  that wasn't tricking!  that was being down-right devious!!  BWA HA HA HA HA!  anyway, please review!  make the pretty button down there happy!  ^_^

~AlterEthereal


	18. Without

Identity's Past

by AlterEthereal

Syaoran returned to find his princess, but discovered she has been missing in action for years.  Now, a mysterious, distant girl has arrived in the city... could his princess be right under his nose?

Heya, fans and flamers!  Sadly, our story is coming to an end, soon.  I'm not quite sure when... maybe three or so more chapters from now.  Maybe less.  In any case, I highly doubt I would've even gotten past chapter 5 without the help of the reviewers.  So you know what comes next:  the review thanx:  Tramie, orlha, and sapphire999!  You guys are awesome... *_sob_*  Anyway, enjoy!  ^_^

Also, beware, this chapter is a bit sad... and a bit gory... nothing descriptive, though.  Just a gash or two, but still, if the mention of blood makes you sick (Anaru watched a safety video for his electricity class once and passed out when someone got stabbed in the eye), then you may want to skip the fight scene.  -_-;

Alter-chan:  so here we are again.

So:  yes, it seems so.

Anaru:  ...

Yugi: *_from _silver-dagger-113_'s fic "_Marik's Boring Day_"*_ YO HO!  ^___^

Althea:  where's Leif?

Alter-chan:  rocking back and forth on his heels over there *_points*_

Althea:  -_-;  *_wanders off in Leif's direction*_

everyone:  so...

*_Zuri suddenly bursts in out of thin air, takes something, then runs away.*_

Alter-chan: *_getting up to run after her*_  what the...?  hey!  Zuri, get back here with those ownership rights!  they aren't ours!!

So:  well, i guess that does it for disclaimer...

Anaru:  ...

~~~~

Chapter 18:  Without

~~~~

Once Sakura and Syaoran got themselves and the now-rescued child to the other side of the cavern, they began back toward the village.

"Is there no way to get there faster?" the messy-haired boy complained, carrying the sleeping boy on his back.

Sakura thought a moment, realizing that he meant for her to use the Star Cards.  "We could use the Dash!"

She suddenly halted, grasping the pendant that hung around her neck.  "Key of the Star, with powers burning bright, reveal the staff and shine thy light!  Release!"  She pulled out a card and spun it before her.  "Dash!"*

Grabbing Syaoran's arm, she sped off toward the village.

It didn't take them long to get there with the help of the Dash Card, but they were still too late.  What they found there made their jaws drop in surprise and horror.

Blocking their way was a boy with shoulder-length black hair and eyes that were once a clear sapphire blue but now a clouded gray.

"Felix!" Sakura stopped in her tracks.  "What are you doing?  What's happened to the village?"

The boy didn't answer her questions--just slowly began to walk toward her.  "Sakura... I've been waiting for you, Sakura."

"What's going on?"  Syaoran appeared at her side and set the child on the ground against the wall.

"I don't know... he won't answer... something's wrong..."

"And I'll bet I know what.  I'm going to find Wu Tai.  You take care of Felix and the kid, alright?"

"Gotcha."

And with that, Syaoran took off past Felix, who was preoccupied with the auburn-haired girl.  Sakura unconsciously took a step backward.

"What do you want from me?"

"So many questions, Sakura.  Nothing's ever enough for you, is it?"

"Stay back!"  She took another step back.

"It wasn't enough for you to be alive and be here.  You just had to go back and find your friends and family, didn't you?"

"Stop it!"  Another step.

"Why couldn't you have just been content to stay here by my side?"

Suddenly, Sakura couldn't move.  It wasn't that she was under any spell, or maybe she was, but the boy's sheer words made her freeze in place.  "Felix, I-"

"I love you, Sakura."

A few yells and battle cries were heard coming from further inside the cave.

Felix grabbed her wrists forcefully, but there was a gentleness in his action that made Sakura unsure of what to do.  Before she could decide, however, his lips caught hers in a passionate kiss.  Her head spun.

_Wha-... what's he doing?  This couldn't be right..._

Somehow, she found herself molding into the kiss.  His free hand traveled up to the back of her neck and pressed her against him.  She gasped for air, but he took the opportunity to deepen the kiss and explore her mouth.  _This isn't right..._

"Felix..." she tried to protest.  She felt him grit his teeth against her lips, as if he were struggling against himself inside his head.

He kissed her again, harder.  "You love me..." he mumbled into her mouth.

Sakura felt herself slowly giving in and knew that she wouldn't be able to hold out much longer.  If only she could reach her Star Cards...  "I- I..."

"You love me..."

"I l-love..."

"You love me..."

Suddenly, a realization struck her.  _Wait, Felix doesn't know this language!_  "No!"

Empowered by her newfound knowledge, Sakura found the strength she needed to break free from the unwelcome embrace and shove the boy fiercely away.  "You aren't Felix!  And you certainly aren't Syaoran!  He's the only one I'll say those three words to!"  Her hand flew to her now-accessible waist strap and extracted another pink card.  "Freeze!  Stop him in his tracks!"

The words barely free from her tongue, The Freeze surrounded her unsuspecting victim, trapping him in her crystalline ice.  Sakura grabbed the child that she and Syaoran had rescued and made a mad dash for the village, only to find exactly what she'd hoped not to.

~*~

Syaoran ran past Sakura and into the cave.  What he saw was _not_ to his liking.

A horde of villagers stood a little way away from him, each with eyes just like Sakura's friend, clouded and gray.  Their auras had been manipulated as well--they had all been stained black.  Not only the men, either--women and children had become subject to this change.  He wordlessly shouted his despair.  All these people were being controlled by Wu Tai; he was using them as a shield to protect himself.  But what pained him most was the sight of a small, four-year-old girl with blonde hair and ragged clothes standing up in the front of the crowd, clutching a broken spear head in her tiny fist.

_These are... innocent people!  Damn you, Wu Tai!  You know I won't hurt them!  Even I have a heart after all!_  he thought angrily, then added, _And thanks to Sakura, I can feel it..._

Suddenly, one of the villagers came forward:  a smallish man with dark hair who seemed to be holding an awkward weapon that resembled a mining pick.  He let out a battle cry and lunged for Syaoran, who quickly dodged the assault, keeping in mind not to hurt any of the people--even if they had been turned against him.  The man tried again, and this time Syaoran used his sword to block the attack, holding it in a defensive position.  It was fairly effortless, but knew he still had to be careful.  He let the man attack him again, this time swinging around his side as he charged so he was behind him.  He held the tasseled end of his sword above the man's head, then brought it down in a swift motion to come in contact with the man's neck.  He certainly didn't use much force; it was almost gentle, just enough to knock the man out and let him fall to the ground in a heap.

Another villager came forward to fight, this time a young woman with blonde hair that Syaoran really hoped wasn't Sorina's mother.

"I have to go through you guys one at a time?  Without hurting you?  This is going to take forever!"

The woman made the first move, coming at the messy-haired boy with great agility and a small, dagger-like tool.  She wasn't as easy to defend against, since she was quick and had a short-range weapon, but Syaoran managed without too much trouble, knocking her off balance once or twice and succeeding in regaining his advantage.  That is, until he got a good side glimpse of her and the slight bulge in her stomach.

_She's... with child?!  How low does this guy get?  Making a pregnant woman fight?_

With the boy sufficiently caught off-guard, the blonde zombie took her chance to place the dagger wholly into his left shoulder, making him cry out in pain.  He struggled to regain focus.

"This has got to end..." Syaoran twined his leg around one of hers and swiped it out from under her, taking the chance to grab her hand and pull it and the dagger away from his blood-soaked shirt.  He held her arm above her head, incapacitating her weapon, then swiftly finished her off just as he had the previous villager.  Syaoran caught her as she fell, as she surely would've landed on her stomach, then placed her gently on her back near the other unconscious villager.

A sharp pain in his right side made him once again shift his focus, bringing his elbow about full-circle to defend against whatever had so rudely poked him.  Once he saw his attacker's dirty, blonde hair and shy, clouded eyes, however, his elbow stopped in its tracks.  "S- Sorina?"

The little girl jerked the spearhead out of him, causing him to wince and yelp.  Before he could move, though, she had begun to attack again.  Within moments, Syaoran was so scratched, beaten, and bloody that it was all he could do to stand and hold his sword, let alone use it to defend himself.

_Shit!  I can't die!  What would happen to Sakura?_

"Shield!  Protect Syaoran!"

_Or rather, what would happen to _me_ without _her_?_  he asked himself as a shining force field enveloped him and the teenage girl running to his side.  He let the tasseled sword fall to the ground and nearly collapsed, but the girl steadied him with her own weight.

"Syaoran!  What happened?!  What's with the villagers?!" she cried frantically.

"They're being controlled.  While we were gone, h-he took the whole lot of them.  Even that guy... uh... Felix, right?"

"Yeah, I got that same feeling, too.  His aura is tainted with black, like it's being covered up somehow."

"How did you get past him, anyway?  He didn't hurt you, did he?"  He didn't like the tinge of pink that worked its way to her cheeks, but dismissed it as her words fell.

"Well, um... I used the freeze card on him.  I don't think it'll hold very long, though; one card is no match for Wu Tai, and if he's controlling them, Felix ought to be able to break free.  That means we aren't safe here, either."

The two looked around themselves.  Sure enough, the possessed villagers were beginning to break through the barrier.  Syaoran shivered as he thought of how much they resembled zombies.

"Well then, we're gonna have to fight." he stated, drawing to full height, one hand holding his injured shoulder.

"Yep.  He's got his army and we've got ours."  The girl's emerald eyes burned with determination as she pulled every card but one from her waistband and summoned them all.  "Star Cards, release and dispel!  Defend against the villagers!"

~~~~

*this is the only time i'm going to give the incantation for this stuff, so enjoy it.  ¬¬

~~~~

Alter-chan: *_dragging Zuri in by the collar with some stuff in her hands*_ well, here ya go.  here's your ownership rights back. *_tosses ownership rights to CLAMP ladies*_

CLAMP ladies:  ^^

Alter-chan:  so, i'll see everybody (except maybe the CLAMP girls) next chapter.  'til then, au revoir, adios, sayonara, and please review!

~AlterEthereal


	19. Hidden

Identity's Past

by AlterEthereal

Syaoran returned to find his princess, but discovered she has been missing in action for years.  Now, a mysterious, distant girl has arrived in the city... could his princess be right under his nose?

Hey there, fans and friends!  Finally got the time to work on this here story... I was really afraid I wouldn't make the usual 5-day deadline, since the two days I would normally be working the most on it were spent instead at an intense skating competition.  Which I won.  Twice.  YAY!  Anyway, not important.  What _is_ important is that I'm back and with another chappie and more thanx to the reviewers:  orlha, sapphire999, and Vi3t BaBiI!  Enjoy, guys!  ^_^

Alter-chan:  so, how's the count?  how many people are still left sane here?  *_counts on fingers_* geez, less than one hand, eh?

Zuri, Bob, Leif, and Yugi *_from_ silver-dagger-113_'s fic _Marik's Boring Day*:  YO HO!  ^___^

So:  oh no... now they've all gotten started with that?

Anaru:  well i guess insanity is contagious.

Alter-chan:  then shouldn't we _all_ be insane by now?

Anaru:  you seem to have misunderstood your rights, woman!

So and Alter-chan:  -_-;

Anaru:  in fact, i think both of you should have to do disclaimer.

So and Alter-chan: *_look at each other_* well um... ok...

So:  DISCLAIMER:  Alter-chan's face.

Alter-chan:  doesn't own CCS.

So:  or any of their faces.

Alter-chan: *_nods in agreement_*

~~~~

The two looked around themselves.  Sure enough, the possessed villagers were beginning to break through the barrier.  Syaoran shivered as he thought of how much they resembled zombies.

"Well then, we're gonna have to fight." he stated, drawing to full height, one hand holding his injured shoulder.

"Yep.  He's got his army and we've got ours."  The girl's emerald eyes burned with determination as she pulled every card but one from her waistband and summoned them all.  "Star Cards, release and dispel!  Defend against the villagers!"

~~~~

Chapter 19:  Hidden

~~~~

The Star Cards fought well, each holding off the villagers in its own way, yet without hurting any of them.  And, while the attackers were preoccupied, Syaoran and Sakura had the chance to make a plan.

"I'll go after Wu Tai.  Again.  You stay here with your cards, at least until things are under control."

"Are you bossing me around, Syaoran?"

"No," he replied innocently.

"Good.  'Cause I can handle this situation perfectly we-"

"Sakura..." a voice interrupted their short conversation.  The auburn-haired girl turned around, only to see the boy she'd frozen only minutes ago.  If the situation weren't so dangerous, Syaoran would've almost laughed at the irony.

"I'm out of here.  Be careful, Sakura."

"Same to you," she returned sadly.

Syaoran nodded his response and headed off, disappearing deeper into the caves as a certain formerly-sapphire-eyed boy approached Sakura.  He really hated leaving her in that position, but one of them had to go after the bad guy, and if Sakura went, the Star Cards would become unfocused and useless.  That left Syaoran.  He knew that Wu Tai was controlling the villagers, and it was his power that allowed their resistance to the cards.  If he could just distract him, or cause him to pull back his power, the villagers would return to normal and Sakura would be safe.  As for himself, it didn't really matter, since he was already half dead anyway.  If he could make it out alive, it would be icing on the cake.

~*~

Syaoran's aura was weak.  Sakura knew she couldn't just let him stroll to his death, but she had no choice for the moment.  If she left now, the Star Cards would diffuse and the villagers would come after them again.  Besides, she had other matters to attend to.

"Sakura, don't resist.  You and I both know you can't hold off forever."  The raven-haired boy spoke in a slightly seductive voice as he made his way toward her among the villagers and creatures.  The Card Mistress, however, was growing almost... agitated.

"I can't believe you would manipulate people like this," she growled.  "You could never make me believe you are who you claim to be."

"Of course I'm Felix.  Don't I look like it?"

"How dare you!"

"Oh, but I really am Felix.  I've just awakened to my true nature."

"True nature my foot!  We'll see what your true nature is once I'm done with you!"

"So we will!"

That said, the boy lunged, immediately going for Sakura's throat.  The girl was stunned for a moment, but once it hit her that her neck was being squeezed painfully, she resolved to fight back.  She flailed her arms until she was sure they were snug around the boy's own neck, and squeezing just as hard, although she could barely feel them.  She knew she'd achieved her goal as she noted the agonized look on her opponent's face.

~*~

"Wu Tai!  I know you're here somewhere!  Show yourself, you cowardly bastard!"

"Li Xiao Lang," rumbled a low and ominous voice, causing Syaoran to stop in his tracks, "your power is rusty and half-spent.  You would continue to fight?  Even when you must realize I would easily kill you?"  Suddenly, the old man appeared a few meters away from him across the dark cave.  He appeared calm, seeming to see Syaoran as a mere fly on the wall.

"Oh, like you'd know.  I may have a few tricks up my own sleeve!"

"You have already used a great deal of your magical energies just keeping yourself alive!  Do you honestly expect to fight me in your condition?"

"Yes.  And  you may just be surprised."

"Do not be a fool, boy.  You will die."

"We'll just have to test that little theory, now won't we?"  Strangely enough, Syaoran smirked through the pain, which was slowly dwindling. 

_I'll just let him think I'm easy prey for now.  Then, he'll see..._

He gripped his sword with one hand, the other still protectively covering his left shoulder with the other.  Allowing himself to fall into his familiar battle stance, he pointed his sword straight ahead toward the robed figure and charged into the one-handed battle.

He swung idly a few times, a force-field surrounding the man and preventing him from breaking through.  Indeed, he wasn't using all his power, but just enough to pester the man, to keep him from focusing too much on what happened in the village.

~*~

Sakura held on with as much strength as she could muster, praying that her grip would overpower her former friend's, even though that was unlikely.  Unexpectedly, however, a flicker of blue grazed across the boy's eyes and he seemed to be lose a bit of strength--or will.  Even so, she was beginning to feel light-headed.  If he didn't stop soon, she was going to pass out.

~*~

"What is this, boy?  You attack me weakly, but your powers, they grow stronger!"

"Well finally you notice.  I was beginning to think Sakura weak for not being able to defeat such a stupid magician."  The amber-eyed boy let his hand drop from his shoulder, revealing an already partially healed wound.

The old man frowned at the insult, but was more concerned with this hidden power of Syaoran's.  "I do not see how you can rejuvinate your power; you draw your energies from the moon, do you not?  And there is no moon here."

"Who said I only relied on the moon?  A man who relies on one source of power is just asking for death at one point or another."

The ornament that hung around the boy's neck still shone brightly, despite the intense battles he'd endured.  The old man seemed to realize this, a spark of frustration glinting in his dark eyes.

"Your pendant is a power well."

"Perhaps."

"You best not trifle with my temper, Li."

"And if I do?"  _If I can just keep him off balance and angry, that'll give Sakura the time she needs..._

"Then you will suffer the consequences."

A beam of light, sharp as lightning, descended upon an unsuspecting Syaoran, who barely deflected the attack.

"I _will_ stand my ground..." Syaoran muttered determinedly.

"On the contrary, young Xiao Lang.  You will fall!"

~*~

Sakura's grip was beginning to weaken on the dark-haired boy's throat.  The Star Cards stopped defending and returned to their confinement, Sakura being too weak to support them any longer.  Fortunately, many villagers seemed to be weakening as well, some even collapsing to the cave floor.

_I'm not going to make it..._

Suddenly, Felix's hand loosened considerably and she felt a wave of air infect her lungs.  In fact, in less than a second, he had completely let go.  All the blood rushed to Sakura's head as she fell to her knees on the soft rock.  Her vision swirled, but she was able to vaguely make out another person dropping next to her.  She tried to raise her semi-limp arms to rub her eyes, but found that she could barely move.

"S-Sakura?"

Her body did its best to jump in surprise, but she only managed a hoarse moan as her vision slowly came to.  It was still a bit blurry, but wide, sapphire eyes seemed to be peering into her own.

"Felix... is i-it you..." she mumbled through her burning throat.

She vaguely comprehended a village tongue telling her not to give up, that she needed to stand and get her blood running again.  She did as she was told, or at least she tried.  In the end, it took another pair of arms to help her to her feet, but once she was there, she found her vision returning to normal and the feeling returning to her body.

_Wu Tai doesn't have control over the villagers any longer... that means he's either dead or he's focusing his energy on Syaoran now..._

Suddenly aware of the situation, she took wary steps that turned into a jog that turned into a run, straight toward an increasingly menacing black aura and a comfortingly warm green aura.

~~~~

Alter-chan:  ok, so now that that's over with, i've got a surprise for the reviewers.  you get to interact!!

reviewers: *_cheer_*

Alter-chan:  i'm going to take a poll.  a certain outcome wasn't covered in the dream and leaving it unfinished would seem almost an insult to the story and characters, so i'm gonna need some help from the readers!

should the village:

                A.  be relocated back to the earth and their ancient home?  
                or  
                B.  stay in the caves they've known as home?

it's up to you guys this time!  but this also means i'm gonna need lots of responses, so please, don't hold back your opinion!  it would be greatly appreciated!  ^_^

So:  just shut up already.  how can they vote if they're stuck reading all your blabbering?

Alter-chan:  er...

So:  yeah, that's what i thought.

~AlterEthereal


	20. A Son's Revenge

Identity's Past

by AlterEthereal

Hey there, guys!  I'm sorry this chapter took so long to get up, but I tried to wait an extra couple days for more poll votes.  The results as of now are:

Go back to place of origin:  2

Stay in cave:  1

There _is_ still time to change it, though.  Nothing is really set in stone after this chapter.  Alright!  Now!  Time for the part you've all been waiting for:  the thank-you's!!  *_cue Beethoven's 5th_*  Hey, wait!  Wrong music!  (That's my killing music... sorry.)  *_cue Cristofori's Dream*_  That's better.  Anyway, I'd like to thank Vi3t BaBiI, Tramie, orlha, and sweet-captor for their reviews!  *_hands out cookies*_  Lots of love, people!  Enjoy!  ^_^

Alter-chan:  so, is Anaru officially insane yet?

So:  nah, i don't think so.

Anaru: *_blows up a car**not his, mind you*_

Alter-chan:  um...

So:  eh, i take that back.

Anaru:  the moon _is_ made out of cheese now!  i ate it!  I ATE IT!

Alter-chan and So:  O_o;

Anaru: *_skips off with Yugi from _silver-dagger-113_'s fic _Marik's Boring Day_, Wizard of Oz style**I don't own _Yu-Gi-Oh!_ or _The Wizard of Oz_, by the way*_ YO HO!  ^___^

Alter-chan and So:  ...

So:  oh well.  at least now, i get his sword... *_picks up Anaru's sword*_

Anaru: *_runs back, smacks So's wrist so she drops his sword, grabs said sword, runs off again*_

So:  T_T

Alter-chan:  whatever.  i'm going to make myself some pasta.

So:  don't burn it this time!

Alter-chan: *_blushes*_ shut up and just do disclaimer!

So:  i can't do both at once, you know.

Alter-chan: *_glares*_

So:  fine, fine... *_sighs*_  DISCLAIMER:  Alter-chan doesn't own CardCaptor Sakura.  but she does own pasta, which she's probably going to burn into rubber if i don't go and help her, so i'll see all your faces later.  *_leaves to help Alter-chan cook the pasta*_

~~~~

Chapter 20:  A Son's Revenge

~~~~

Sakura's senses led her straight to the cave where a blood-stained boy with chocolate hair battled the towering, robed man who's aura dampened the air.  Syaoran appeared to be fine, with the exception of the gashes on his shoulder and sides.  She didn't know how he'd managed to survive, but boy, was she thankful.

"Syaoran!  Are you alright?" she yelled, running to join him.

The amber-eyed boy smirked to her and replied with confidence despite their situation, "Better than alright, which is what's confusing the hell out of the baka* over there."

"I'm a little confused, myself.  How are you still alive?  With your wounds and fighting with Wu Tai, you should be dead by now!"

"You _want _me to die?"

"Ah!  No!  I wouldn't be able to live without you!"

"I'm touched, Sakura," he said, and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek for emphasis, aggravating the bearded fellow across the cave by doing so.  Sakura noticed this.

"Um, Syaoran..."

Still bent to her, the boy whispered in her ear.  "Just keep him off-balance, alright?  It'll be easier for us if his judgment is clouded by anger."

"Oh... gotcha."  And she giggled, making it final.

"If you two are quite finished, I believe I still must deliver your deaths," Wu Tai interrupted, a slightly irritated inflection in his voice.

"I'd like to see you try!"

"Yeah, baka!"

"Sakura?"  Syaoran turned his head to the girl at his side who again giggled delightedly.

"What?  I just had to!  It sounded like fun, and it was just so perfect!"

The boy sighed and rolled his eyes, letting them fall once more across the shady figure of their opponent.  "Whatever..."  _You want perfect?  Just go look in the mirror..._

"Xiao Lang, your thoughts are distracted by this girl.  She will be your downfall."

"Yeah right!  Maybe she's that secret power well your baka brain has been pondering over for the last 10 minutes or so."

"You lie, boy."

"I didn't lie... I said 'maybe.'"

"Your pendant is that which replenishes your power!"

"Ooh, the baka _does_ have a few braincells afterall!"

Sakura was confused; all this was news to her.  _Replenishes his power?  That must've been how he healed so quickly after the fall in here..._

"And where, exactly, did you acquire this object?  Perhaps it was given to you by your mother..." Wu Tai spoke in an obscenely calm tone, and Syaoran's smirk faded away, his form visibly stiffening.  "...just before she-"

"Shut up!"

"Syaoran?  What's wrong?  What's he talking about?" she tried to interject.

"Oh, I see I have offended you, young Xiao Lang.  I apologize; I was not aware that by killing her I would anger you in such a way."

"You?  You killed her?"

"Why, yes, as a matter of fact.  I tried to have you killed as well, but," and he turned to gaze at Sakura, "you betrayed me, girl."

_His shoes... So _that's_ why he isn't with the rest of his clan.  His mother... _"Like that was the only offense committed in this situation!"__

"Yelan and her little Li Clan were in my way and posed a threat.  So I struck her down in the slowest, most painful and humiliating of fashions."

"Which is why no one could figure out what the disease was..." Syaoran growled.

Sakura began to slowly back away, in shock of the frighteningly dense shade of green his aura was taking on.  Still, she gathered her wits and refused to leave his side.

"Syaoran, why didn't you tell me?" she asked, but his amber eyes were now blazing with rage, and he was ignoring her completely.

~*~

"You..."  Syaoran snarled, trying his best to both stay calm and think of a word that would describe the way he presently felt about Wu Tai.

"Really, Xiao Lang.  I should think you would be rather happy that your mother is dead.  She was an obstruction, was she not?  I understand that she never even displayed affections toward you."

His blood felt like it was on fire.  He gritted his teeth together, trying to focus on the then-pleasant grinding sound that it formed in his ears.  _Mother... you have the power to foretell the future.  You knew this would happen, didn't you?  Is that why you gave me Clow's Pendant?  So that I'd be ready?  Mother... your powers grew weak, didn't they?  Wu Tai is wrong.  You _did_ show me affection before you died, because you knew he was killing you!  You grew so weak you couldn't even hide the love you'd bottled up for over a decade because you knew I had to grow a cold, indestructable shell--in order to survive!  You did care about me, and I swear, Mother,_ _I will avenge you!_

The boy was so focused on his emotions that he barely heard Sakura's attempts at calming him.

"...Syaoran, that thing about anger clouding judgment-"

"I can handle it, Sakura, but," he turned his eyes to her, "I want to teach this guy a lesson about messing with my family.  One that he won't live to forget.  Will you help me?"

Sakura saw the tremendous amount of hurt and anger in those fiery, amber pools, but also noticed the mischevious, determined glint present there.

"Absolutely.  I told you already that I'd stay by your side, and I meant it."

She had no idea just how calming _those_ words were.

~*~

Felix raced to the small hut where the records and ancient texts were kept.  He needed healing rituals and he needed them _fast._  Pushing himself through the door, which was usually locked, he immediately focused upon finding the Old Language book.  He'd been told that there were magic spells in the books, rumored to be able to cure the sick and mend the blind.  He had never believed this possible, but, as most of the villagers lay unconscious on the musty ground of the cave, he thought anything would be worth the try.

He discovered the dusty-paged book buried beneath a mountain of records.  Each generation had tried to mimic the last, but sadly, scarcely learned writing skills and even scarcer reading skills had caused the words to falter and change dramatically since the original--the ALMANAH, it was called.  Felix was one of very few who had learned to read and write, but he still had never seen inside the hard-backed, fraying bindings of the "Almanac."  Now that he looked over it's pages, however, he realized the full extent of the gap between the village's current language and the Old Language.  He could barely understand the words written in their faded, black ink.

As he scanned, a portion of his thoughts drifted to the lady friend of his who was, at that very moment, fighting for her life, and the lives of the villagers, too, while she was at it.  Sadly, though, in his mind lay the residue of remembrance from his trance-like state, and what he'd inadvertently done to her.  While it was true that he loved her more than almost anything (the exception being little Sorina, who had grown to be like a real sister to him), never in his right mind would he have done something like that to her, the woman who became his first true friend and his first true love.  Unfortunately for him, she already had someone to be her everything and who felt the same way about her.  Sakura just wasn't his to love.

_RITUAL... CICATRIZARE!_

The young, sapphire-eyed boy had finally found what he was looking for amidst the pages of that worn-out book.  Scanning down a few ceremonies, however, he found that the entire book would probably be useless.  All the spells required things like EUCALIPT, CAPRIFOI, and ROZMARIN, none of which he knew the meaning of, let alone possessed.

The boy groaned in hopelessness.  He couldn't help the villagers when they depended on him, and he certainly couldn't do anything to help the girl with bright, viridian eyes.  Why did it seem like everything he cared about was eventually taken away from him?  His past, his love, even his village... was there nothing he could do?  There must've been something!  And so, Felix dove deeper into the dark ink of that ancient text in search of anything that could help light the way in their terrifyingly bleak situation.

~~~~

*baka:  "idiot" in japanese.

~~~~

Alter-chan: *_forks rubbery noodles*_

So: *_eats well-cooked noodles*_

Alter-chan: *_glares at So*_

So:  well, it's not my fault you wouldn't let me help you.

Alter-chan:  i didn't need your help!  my pasta's fine! *_tries unsuccessfully to chew down a noodle*_  anyway, another chappie's been and gone.  we're nearing the end of the fic, but don't say any goodbye's yet!  afterall, you _do_ want to see which Hoshiaka sister is left sane at the end, right?

readers: *_backing away slowly*_ oh no... one of you goes insane?  someone have mercy...

Alter-chan: *_grins devilishly*_ we'll just have to see!!  in the meantime, please leave a review by the door!  ^^

~AlterEthereal


	21. Revision

Identity's Past

by AlterEthereal

Well... um, how can I say this? I'M SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING FOR SO LONG!!! Yeah, I've had a horrible case of writer's block for the past couple of weeks, and lots of school work to irritate me, too. coughinformativeresearchspeechcough Anyway, I'd like to thank sweet-captor, Tramie, orlha, Vi3t BaBiI, and Hitaru for their marvellous reviews, as well as taking the poll! My sinister little mind is whittling away at the idea as we speak! So, here's the _long_-awaited chapter. Enjoy!

Alter-chan: welcome back to the nuthouse!!

So: today we have something delightful for you all...

Alter-chan: a surprise guest!! _grins stupidly_

audience: _cheers_

Tycho: _randomly appears_ Oo

Alter-chan: an angsty, arrow-flingning bishounen!!

audience: _cheers_

Tycho: _glares at Alter-chan_ what am i doing here?

So: disclaimer, of course!

Tycho: _glarespulls out his bow and an arrow or two_

Alter-chan: ...or not...

So: um... maybe you'd better do it today...

Alter-chan: he he... ok... Tycho, please put your archery down... DISCLAIMER: I own everything! _everything! _you hear me? EVERYTHING!__

So: she's lost it...

Tycho: lost what?

So: _sweatdrops_ oh, nothing. just her sanity.

Chapter 21: Revision

"Alright, here's the deal. Wu Tai's power source must be either on him or around him, since nothing else can penetrate these caves. And I don't feel any power drain, so he can't be using others to gain his energy. It's got to be something he _has_," Syaoran whispered.

"Like what?"

"It could be anything... his shoes, one of those ornaments... hell, it could be his hair for all I know. All that's in Clow's history about him is that he used forces outside the elementals. Not a very conventional sorcerer, much like Clow himself."

"So what do we do?"

"First, we've gotta find out where his power's coming from."

"And then destroy it?"

"Well, that's _if_ we can get to it. There's a possibility that his power source is within him, like you and the power of your Star."

"Um... well, whatever it is, I'm sure he wouldn't want it destroyed, so if we split up and attack him from all sides, he should defend that area most, right?"

"Right."

"_Blestem!_" Felix cursed. He was getting nowhere. By now, he had passed the healing rituals and gone looking for _any_ spell that didn't require foreign materials, but sadly, was having no luck.

He flipped the rough pages quickly now, barely skimming the pages before checking the next. Finally, something caught his eye. It was written differently than all the other spells, mainly being that it was written in the language Sakura had tried to teach him. He couldn't read it, but was more concerned with how it got there than anything. The book was considered sacred, and he had expressed this to the girl. She never went near it. The boy that came back with her seemed like the sly type, but truly sincere in his will to help. He wouldn't have messed with the book, even if he knew it existed or where it was. The only other person that knew that language was the mysterious man in bright robes who had taken Sakura back to her world for those few months. He seemed nice enough then... but was he or was he not the same man that had seized control of the villagers but an hour ago?

Yep, that man was up to no good. Felix wouldn't put it past him to have written in the book, and doubtless he had the sorcery to do it. Whatever was written in there was probably black magic, he decided, and vowed to destroy it. He had asked Sakura once about how she could do the magic that she did, and she had told him about an "inner Star" that she used as a power well. She mentioned something about all sorcerers having one, and that she was fortunate enough to have one that she had access to at all times. If that was so, then the robed man must need one as well.

How to destroy that writing... it was ink, so it couldn't be erased... but it could still be burned! Sakura had introduced the village to handy little things called "matches" that could be used to light fires within mere seconds. Felix rushed around the little hut to find a pack of them and indeed discovered them near the stove. Stoves... what wondrous devices... this was the only one in the entire village, unfortunately. But he would gawk at that later. Right now, there was sorcery to burn!

"There's just... no way... to get at him..." Sakura choked out between gasps for breath. She and Syaoran had been at it for a few minutes already, but there was nothing that either could do to break through the powerful defensive shield that Wu Tai maintained. The man seemed to be totally content with himself, showing no frustration whatsoever concerning the two's futile attempts. He had a smug look on his face, accompanied by an smirk that distorted his already-ugly (to Sakura) features. "How are we supposed to find his weak spot if we can't even break through his barrier?"

"What about your cards? Isn't there one strong enough to break through?" Syaoran suggested, his tone hard and unyielding, despite injuries and anger that dared to seep to the surface.

Sakura imagined that he was growing even more agitated with every second that passed where Wu Tai wasn't dead, after all the suffering caused by just this one man. First, he nearly killed her, alternately trapping her in the caves, then he murdered Syaoran's mother, then he forced her to play a separate identity and kill Syaoran (a plan that, fortunately, went awry), then he kidnapped a villager, then took control over the rest of the villagers, and now he seemed more unstoppable than ever.

"All my cards put together couldn't defeat him, Syaoran," she responded shakily, though she tried to conceal the worry in her voice. Sakura remembered back to her first battle with the robed man, and how he'd toyed with her until her frustration showed. She figured he'd just been waiting for her to lose sight of logic and do something irrational, like using all her cards at once. That gave him the opportunity to tap into this unknown place and drag her down with him without even packing her bags. "And I'm not making the same mistake again," she muttered, barely loud enough for the chocolate-haired boy to hear.

Syaoran gritted his perfect, white teeth behind his lips, his battle stance relaxing noticably until all that was left was the sword in his right hand, a fiery glaze in his amber eyes, and a dense, green aura surrounding his well-sculpted form. "Then what would you suggest we _do_?" he growled, never removing his gaze from his foe.

"I- I don't know," the young girl stuttered in reply. As much as she loved the Chinese warrior beside her, it did scare her a bit when he got into this mood. Even as a child, he had always found it difficult to control his rage when it arose. Knowing this, however, only made Sakura more adamant to find a logical way out of the situation before it got worse. "All I know is that this strategy has failed. He's got more power than either of us bargained for."

Suddenly, three things happened at once: Wu Tai shuddered violently, veins of light surged through the walls of the caves, and a dark-haired boy came running into the cave shouting. The eyes of the two young sorcerers darted about frantically, not knowing which place to look first, but before they knew it, they were forced to concentrate on the earthquake that had begun. Everything around them shook, and Sakura eventually lost her balance and tumbled to the ground. Syaoran followed, but it was more intentional than accidental.

"Are you alright?" he asked, raising his voice above the rumble of the cave walls and nervously raking his eyes up and down her body for any injury. If there were any, they were minimal, because Sakura found herself squeaking out that she was fine. Something very interesting began to distract her however, as Felix also appeared at her side and began speaking to her in hurried tones that she had to consciously try to comprehend. She caught something about the writing in a book and 'black magic,' then matches and bright light obscuring the paper before it burned completely.

"What?!" she exclaimed, not even realizing when she spoke in her own language. The blue-eyed boy repeated slowly, though it really wasn't necessary. Syaoran, meanwhile, was paying avid attention, though he couldn't understand what the young boy was saying. He could apparently realize it was urgent, and even pertained to the predicament they now faced. But suddenly, something else overtook him, and he let out a muffled phrase below that Sakura could barely discern.

"It's Romanian!" he said again, this time louder. "_They're_ Romanian!" Sakura tried to get to her feet, but the shaking seemed to weight her to the floor, and even Felix was on the ground now.

"Syaoran, this is no time for a brilliant revelation! We've gotta get out of here!" Sakura shouted back, not even bothering to disguise the emergency. She tried once again to get to her hands and knees, hoping that she might make it to some kind of upright position.

"Why? What the hell is going on in this place?"

"We're not in a cosmic waste dump! We're in Wu Tai's _personal_ waste dump! Felix found his power source and destroyed it, and now this entire dimension is collapsing!" Sakura yelled. She tried to stand up on both feet again, ignoring the dizzy sensations running through her head as it was jarred in every which direction. Eventually, though, she made it to two feet and pulled out her wand, attempting to maintain her balance as she did so. She then called out to Felix in whatever warped version of Romanian that Syaoran had concluded it was. The sapphire-eyed boy seemed to get what she was saying, because when she finished her short speech, the he nodded and made to stand up as well. As soon as he was able, he half-ran half-stumbled out of the cave back toward the village. Sakura then turned to Syaoran, who still sat on the ground next to her, "Syaoran! Wu Tai is defenseless!"

The boy suddenly snapped-to. "Gotcha!" After another violent jerk, which almost sent the auburn-haired girl flying yet again, Syaoran got shakily to his feet and gripped his tasseled sword tightly. He thought for a moment of just how to finish the old, kniving sorcerer off. No matter how tough he looked on the outside, he was really disgusted by gore on the inside. In fact, he almost fainted when he was attacked by the villagers earlier, not because of the amount of blood that he lost, but just by the sight of it. "Hey, Sakura!" The girl turned her emerald gaze upon him with undivided attention. "Could you lend me a card or something? This guy's blood isn't deserving enough to have a place on my sword!" He thought up the best excuse possible.

They quickly settled upon The Erase, a quick, painless way of ending Wu Tai's wretched existence. Syaoran stalked up to the robed man, who had surprisingly stayed where he was the entire time. The brown-haired boy's eyes glinted deviously.

"You know, for someone who's lived so damn dishonorably, you sure have a noble way of getting killed. I expected you to run."

"Did I make it less amusing for you, Xiao Lang?" Wu Tai retorted, the same cynical look on his face, but a softer--almost melancholy--tone in his voice. As Syaoran raised his sword, he bent slightly, as if accepting his fate. "I would rather die by your blade than fall victim of my own folly."

A sadistic smirk graced Syaoran's delicate features. "That's why I'm letting you die painlessly, you sorry son of a bitch." And without another word (as it was becoming much more difficult to stand, let alone speak), he spun the Star Card before him and struck it, just the way he was accustomed to as a child, and called the name of Wu Tai's merciful executioner. "Erase Card!"

Alter-chan: _is singing Ring-Around-the-Rosie with Zuri, Anaru, and Yugi from _silver-dagger-113_'s fic _Marik's Boring Day_, who seems to have his own version that includes only the phrase "Yo ho!"_

So and Tycho: --;

Althea: hm... i thought something was missing in the dungeon... _drags Tycho off_

So: uh... please review... i guess...

AlterEthereal


	22. Magnetic

Identity's Past

by AlterEthereal

Hey there, guys! Long time no see! Which is entirely my fault, and I'm sorry. TT; You guys probably know the drill: busy, bust, busy... and FINALS. Ugh, I have to take the physics final... that's going to be irritating... that's tomorrow... Well, before I go and study my ass off, I'd like to thank all the reviewers from last chapter: Hitaru, Tramie, Vi3t BaBiI, sweet-captor, and orlha! Enjoy!

Alter-chan: la la la la la...

So: um... Kaya? don't you have finals tomorrow? you should be studying...

Alter-chan: YO HO!

So: grr... stupid baka... why'd you have to go insane on me?

Alter-chan: ring around the rosie, pocket full of posie...

So: that's it. TYCHO!!

Tycho: -_randomly shows up-_ what do you want?

So: make Kaya wake up. she's needs to study.

Tycho: -_quirks eyebrow-_

So: and she's holding up the story. she has to do disclaimer.

_Tycho rolls his eyes and walks over to Alter-chan, who is laughing hysterically on the ground, yelling something about 'coupe and hop.' He bends down and kisses her._

Alter-chan: -_blinks and stands up-_ how did i get on the ground?

Tycho: nevermind.

Alter-chan: oh. well, did you just kiss me?

Tycho: no. i woke you up so you could do disclaimer.

Alter-chan: oh, ok! DISCLAIMER: I do not own CCS, but I do own Tycho and if I say that he kissed me, then he kissed me, and I say that he kissed me.

Tycho: - -; -_leaves-_

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Chapter 22: Magnetic

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_Come on, Syaoran, you have to hurry up and get back over here before the entire place falls apart and-_ Sakura's thoughts were abruptly cut off as the cave walls to her left seemed to shatter, and the tremors in the ground became worse. She fought to maintain her balance, but only wound up on the ground again. She let out a frail whining sound and prepared to stand again, though she knew it would be much harder this time than it had been the last. "Syaoran!" she called to the messy-haired boy who still dawdled at the other end of the cave, "We can't wait much longer to get out of here! Hurry up!"

Whether or not he heard her took little priority in her mind as another nearby wall of stone gave way and collapsed into nothing but dusty particles. Behind it lay that horrific blackness that she'd seen the last time she escaped, an emptiness that rivaled that of space or perhaps even The Void.# Suddenly, Syaoran appeared at her side.

"Now that Wu Tai's dead, it could be minutes, maybe even seconds until this entire place is gone for good. Shouldn't we be getting out of here right about now?" Sakura could tell how the boy tried to mask the panic in his voice, but his jittery countenance betrayed his urgency. She could feel his eyes burning holes in the side of her head, as if waiting for her to take action.

"We can't leave yet, Syaoran. Not until Felix comes back with the others."

"What?!" He spun her shoulders around to face him. "But Sakura-"

"What do you want us to do? Just leave them?" She scoffed and rolled her eyes at the amber-eyed warrior. "It's not like they're really just dolls! If we don't take them with us, they'll all die here!"

"But Sakura, think about the strain on your power! You and I have both been fighting almost the entire time we've been here. Are you sure it'll hold out?" He sounded genuinely concerned now, and seeing the worried pout on his face almost made Sakura smile, despite the rather unpleasant situation they'd managed to get themselves into. "And with all the villagers... isn't there another way?"

"I'm afraid not," she replied. She knew that Syaoran was right, but it was just a risk that she _had_ to take. They were left with no other options. She raised her pink staff above her head, and for the first time in a great while, allowed it to transform to it's full length, extending well above her head. She still remembered the first time she used it this way--it was when she hadn't had enough power to transform The Light and The Dark, and Keroberos and Yue had merged with it. Soon after, they had taken up permanent residence inside it, insisiting that, as the new Mistress of the Cards, she be prepared for anything. Not to mention that they wanted to be able to keep an eye on her at all times, or at least until they were sure there was no more evil roaming around waiting to strike. And boy, was she glad they'd taken that little precaution. "I call upon the powers of my Star!" Steady beneath the two magicians appeared The Seal of the Star, the same circular pattern that appeared when summoning her wand and her Star Cards except much bigger, around 8 or 9 meters in diameter.

As the ceiling finally began to give way, Felix then appeared in the cave entrance carrying a small, blonde bundle in his arms. A crowd of people followed him, some having a difficult time keeping their footing, and most of the men stuck carrying children and the elderly. The dark haired boy tripped his way over to Sakura and thrust the child into her arms, yelling in his language that he was going back to help the others. Syaoran, though unable to translate the message exactly, managed to get the drift as well and ran to aid the stumbling villagers onto the bright platform.

As a crimson speck became visible above the party, the ground trembled more violently and became cracked. Sakura urged all the poeple to hurry, and within just a few more moments, close to everyone was aboard, including Syaoran. The only people left were Felix and a young blonde woman who seemed rather dazed still from the mind control she'd been put through. It wasn't until one of the woman's rather swollen feet got caught on the rough stone, throwing her backward, that Sakura noticed her somewhat... enlarged stomach. Felix immediately bent down to help her get her foot un-stuck, but they were quickly running out of time. The two were crouched at the very foot of the platform--they just had to make it!

All at once, Felix worked the woman's foot out from between the rocks and dragged her upward, almost throwing her toward the awaiting villagers, and the ground began to shatter beneath the boy's feet. Alas, he wasn't atop the platform yet! Someone shoved past Sakura as her eyes widened and she let out a terrified scream. "Felix!"

-------------

It happened too quickly. Syaoran watched in horror as the ground beside him began to shake apart and disintegrate. The glowing platform and all it's travelers stayed afloat, but as he caught a glimpse of the other side of the crowded station, he saw the peculiar blue-eyed boy thrusting that same blonde woman that had attacked him under mind control into the arms of the other villagers. Syaoran shoved his way through the crowd and past Sakura (who screamed) all the way to the ledge as quickly as he possibly could, falling to his knees and reaching out for the boy.

He managed to grasp Felix's wrist, almost getting pulled off the ledge himself in the process, but staying stable enough to support the dark-haired boy until he realized that he wasn't falling any longer. His eyes snapped open and he looked up to his rescuer, muttering something in his native tongue that Syaoran couldn't understand. Not that it mattered, of course.

"I have no idea what you just said, but you're welcome," he replied, wasting little time in hoisting Felix up. He felt almost like he was saving a comrade in battle, just with a little more mischief and rivalry sparking between the two than would be considered normal. A blue blob suddenly appeared at his right, and he recognized it as the back of Sakura's cape. The emerald-eyed beauty was crouched with the two boys and staring worriedly at the paler of the two. Syaoran secretly felt a pang of jealousy but kept it to himself, settling for a dark glare toward the back of Sakura's head as she leaned over to make sure that her friend was alright. He thought he saw her glance in his direction, but she paid the dirty look no attention, as if it were a usual occurance, coming from him. In reality, he supposed it was.

The sorceress murmured something to the blue-eyed boy, who nodded and stood up to dust himself off from his little near-death experience. Syaoran watched closely and tried to look disapproving, but the happy smile on Sakura's face as she concluded that Felix was fine was enough to soften his features somewhat and even raise the edges of his lips a little.

Just as Syaoran was about to turn away from the mushy little scene, he was attacked affectionately by a pair of pale arms. "Thank you so much, Syaoran! Oh, what would I ever do without you?"

He let his amber eyes fall into the easy lock of emerald and wrapped an arm around her, using the other to playfully tap her nose. "That was a bad joke, Sakura, since you know I'm not going anywhere." The scene was romantically perfect, and Syaoran had half the mind to kiss the girl silly right there in his arms. The only problem was the 40 or so eyebrows that were presently quirked at them. "These people, however, do have a place to go..."

The girl caught his drift and every bit reluctantly tore her viridian orbs away from the young warrior's. "Right. Now let's see..." Cape trailing behind her, Sakura made her way back to the center of the platform, a significant bounce in her step all the way. Syaoran followed for no particular reason, and Felix wasn't far behind.

_She's just magnetic, I guess..._ the boy decided after a moment or so of thought, not that it was so hard to figure out. The girl had a beauty about her, and it drew people of every nature and genre to her like flies to lamplight. For Syaoran, it was a little different, he supposed. _More like a whale drawn to the air. I need her to live..._

Sakura fidgeted at her waist strap with hurried fingers, searching for the right card to get them out of there. She glanced up at the crimson speck, which was barely visible now. "Oh no..." she cried softly, "it's getting smaller!" Suddenly, something seemed to click in her brain, and she dug out the card she'd deduced that she needed. "Move Card!" With a flick of her wrist, she twirled her wand (careful not to hit anyone, considering just how long it had become) and struck the pink Star Card, releasing the creature. "Get us out of here!" No sooner had her lips finished shaping the words than The Move had taken action, swiftly placing itself beneath the heavy terrace and pushing it upwards. Several frightened squeals were heard from various places in the crowd, but upon Sakura's yell of something in that warped Romanian, they fell calm again, with the exception of some children who were still a bit scared.

_It's only natural, I guess... _Syaoran reminded himself, making his way over to a boy of somewhere around six or seven years who seemed to be near tears in fright and shock. The wretched little thing clung to the hem of his mother's skirt, while the woman was busy watching the predicament unfold with as much complacency as she could muster. She noticed Syaoran's approach, however, and nodded her head in greeting, as that was all the communication that could really be passed between them. Syaoran nodded in return, then knelt down beside the boy, who turned his frightened gaze upon the blood-stained sorcerer.

"It's alright, little one. Be brave, and you'll make it through this just fine," he spoke softly to the child, despite the language difference, and let a warm smile cross his lips. He reached out slowly and removed the boy's hands from the woman's dress, holding them in his own calloused palms for a moment. "Be strong, little one," he murmured, just loud enough to hear over the roar of the worried villagers. Letting the child's arms fall to his sides, he stood to his full height. "And stand tall, because someday, you may have to be the warrior."

-------------

"Damn, this isn't good enough!" Sakura cursed. The move card could only make them go so fast, and that hole was closing faster than they were approaching. And she didn't even want to think about what would happen if they didn't make it through. "We need more..." She reached to her waist strap once more and pulled another bright pink card from its clutches. Summoning it, she called, "Dash! We need more speed!"

"Sakura!" a deep, worried voice radiated to her ears from somewhere behind her. Syaoran soon appeared at her side, concern and a bit of shocked anger written on his perfect face. "What are you doing? Your going to drain yourself of all your power!"

Instead of paying the chestnut-haired boy any heed, she ignored his little outburst and began prying at her waist once again. "We're too heavy... yeah, The Power is just what we need!" With another swing of the pink staff, The Power burst forth to aid the other two cards presently enrolled in the task. With a bit of a jerk, the platform began ascending faster, approaching with horrific speed the crimson vortex that finally seemed to be getting larger instead of smaller.

"Sakura, you aren't listening!" Now, the boy took to her shoulders, shaking them gently as if to wake her from a trance. Although she would never say it aloud, she actually thought it was rather cute, how he was all worried about her like that. "If you overload your powers, you'll faint, or worse, and then these people will all be dead anyway!"

"Relax, Syaoran. I know what I'm doing," she cheered confidently, as Syaoran paused in his rattling of her shoulders. "I summoned _all_ the Star Cards the first time I battled Wu Tai."

"That may be true, but summoning and _using_ are two very different things!" he resumed his shaking, "I thought you'd have figured that out by now!"

Secretly, Sakura knew how right Syaoran was, but she couldn't let it get to her. Not now, while the entire village, not to mention Syaoran, was depending on her. She wasn't going to let them down, and as long as she could use the cards to full capacity long enough to escape into the vortex, she knew they'd be alright. She had the rest of her life to faint over draining too much of her power at once. Right now, concentration was necessary. "Everything will be fine, Syaoran! Just believe in me!"

The boy's glare softened, and his grip on her shoulders loosened. "I do, Sakura."

-------------

# technically, The Void doesn't exist in this story, since when i began writing, i didn't know that the second CCS movie existed. therefore, Syaoran and Sakura had never confessed their love to each other, either.

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Alter-chan: -_is studying for her physics final-_

So: well, at least she's doing what she's supposed to now...

Alter-chan: -_is actually reading _Gundam Wing: Blind Target_ (which i don't own)_-

So: so anyway, please review.

--AlterEthereal


	23. Breathe

Identity's Past

by AlterEthereal

Hey there guys! Sorry for not updating for so long... been having comp troubles. My poor baby was infected with 18 viruses (eek!! ) and I couldn't get online at all. -_mumbles about stupid Trojans-_ Also, I had to work on my Speech final... 'nuff said. Anyway, I'm back and kickin' with an extra long chapter for you reviewers who had to put up with my blashpemic schedule. (-- neato word right there... ) So thank-yous go to Tramie, Vi3t BaBiI, sapphire999, and tenshi cherry blossoms for your awesome reviews! Enjoy!!

Alter-chan: i'm sane again! yippee!!

So: maybe i shouldn't have given you those fruit snacks earlier... sugar is getting to your brain...

Alter-chan: actually, the brain is made out of sugar.

So: um... somehow, i don't doubt that _yours_ is...

Alter-chan: yep. sugar, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids, and several other carbon-based materials.

So: OO -_runs away-_

Alter-chan: fine... just leave me to do disclaimer... DISCLAIMER: I don't own CCS. I should think that you'd all know this by now, but just in case you don't, here I have repeated myself _again_.

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Chapter 23: Breathe

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It was a long way up, and Syaoran could see the power drain beginning to take effect on Sakura. Or was that just frustration that was causing the pretty girl to strain and grit her teeth? He couldn't be quite sure. Their speed was already terrifying, if not physically ludacris when they'd heard a loud boom resonate behind the terrace--they'd broken the sound barrier. Families were huddled together among each other, squashed between other families and crying children and frightened people trying to crowd closer to the center of the platform. They were all scared, and it wasn't hard to figure out why; under any normal circumstances, they'd all be flat as pancakes. The young Chinese warrior was the only one who wasn't shocked and apprehensive about the whole endeavor. He was used to this kind of excitement by now.

Still, watching all the families huddled together for support raised a sort of bitter feeling inside him. He'd never had the chance to be a part of a real family before. As much as the clan had offered him, as well as they'd trained him, as often as he was surrounded by people, never had he experienced the comfort of a mother or father to protect and nurture him. The nearest he'd come to having a parent was Wei, a martial arts instructor back in Hong Kong. Sure, the whole clan stood behind him as their future leader, but none of them really cared about _him._ Other than Wei, the only people he could say truly cared about him were Sakura and Madison. The boy's lips curled a bit in regret and sadness.

Suddenly, Syaoran felt an odd sensation. It was like his stomach was being thrown upward, evoking a nauseous feeling deep in his gut. It wasn't too serious, but it was enough to make him horrendously uncomfortable. Looking around, he noticed other people reacting to what he assumed to be the same thing.

_What the hell is going on?_ he thought tersely, racking his brain for an answer. _Inertia... we must be slowing down!_

He turned back to Sakura, letting his eyes sweep over her struggling form. Her hands still gripped the long, pink staff tightly, though it seemed somewhat forced now. Her brow was furrowed, a bead of perspiration sneaking its way down near her ear. She gritted her teeth and let a quite unladylike grunt escape, but her eyes still glistened with that emerald determination that impressed Syaoran as a child. _Her nobility's gonna end up killing her... and the villagers, too!_

_---------------_

_Breathe..._ Sakura struggled to maintain focus. If they didn't make it out...

But they were starting to slow down. Her power well was draining fast, as was her physical power. The subtle jolting caused by the slow down was beginning to take effect, even upon her. Her vision blurred, and she began to feel like she was tipping. Gritting her teeth together, she refused to give up. _I can make it! Have to..._

She began to feel herself tip again, but this time, she must've really begun to tip, because a pair of firm hands caught her shoulders and stood her upright again. "Syaoran..." she muttered almost sleepily, though she couldn't quite discern who it was. She just knew it was him, despite her lack of senses.

"I told you, you idiot," she heard distantly, "your power's gonna overload!" The hands moved from her shoulders to her hands, fastening themselves over her own. She felt a warm body press against her from behind and support her, but was too tired to think of how it felt. She was, however, stricken with the urge to just curl up against that body and rest for a month or so. _Have to keep going..._

Suddenly, she felt a current of foreign energy pulse through her, making the cells in her body tumble and squeal with surprise. She woke up a bit, and her vision cleared slightly, enough to see the blood stains on the warrior's shirt. "Syaoran..." she mumbled again, but this time, with a considerable amount of life in her voice. "Fine... be that way..." The flow of energy increased, and eventually, Sakura noticed an increase in their speed, as well. They accelerated until, just like before, the crimson slot was visibly moving closer. It was near closed, with just enough room for them to pass through unharmed. "We have to get through," she said as forcefully as she could.

"Shut up and concentrate. I swear, your mouth uses up half your energy..."

The hole became almost like a beam of light as they charged into it.

---------------

"Sakura..."

"Sakura..."

"Sakura wake up..."

"Come on, Sakura, please wake up..." The young girl's brain slowly registered the request and processed it. _That's my name..._ She couldn't feel anything for a few moments, but finally, she felt a sharp tug on her shoulders; someone was shaking her. Too bad the rest of her body felt like lead.

She tried to communicate, to tell whoever was calling her name that she was awake, but all that spilled out of her mouth was a strangled "Nnh..."

"She's coming to..."

A heavily accented voice joined the other deep, very familiar one. "Sakura...?"

"Aah..." she managed, trying to open her heavy eyelids. At first, all she could do was make them flutter, taking a sort of awkward relief in the way her thick lashes tickled her lower lids. Suddenly, something shifted beneath her, and for the first time since she became half-conscious, she was able to discern the fact that she was lying down. But on what?

Gentle pressure was being applied to the middle of her back in several places. _Fingers? Someone must be holding me..._ This served as a bit more motivation for her eyes, and she tried again to get them open. Once again, she only succeeded in making them flutter.

"Sakura, wake up... it's me, Syaoran..." _Syaoran? I want to see Syaoran..._ she immediately found the willpower to raise her eyelids all the way up. Her viridian orbs were greeted by a pair of worried amber ones.

"Syaoran...?" she mumbled through half-closed lips, only then able to feel how dry and chapped they were. _I need some chapstick..._ she noted absent-mindedly. Suddenly, the handsome face above her went from worried to ecstatic, fiery eyes brimming over with joy and relief. Before she knew it, the arms around her had tightened and pulled her into a gentle, but secure hug.

"Oh thank the gods! I thought you-... I was so scared that you might've-..." The boy's words kind of molded together, making it impossible to finish his sentences. From over the boy's shoulders, she also recognized a pair of crystalline blue eyes watching her intently. Before she could force her brain to recall whom the bearer of those eyes was, however, she was lowered from the embrace and faced back to those entrancing eyes again.

"Syaoran?" she asked again, more sure of her voice. She could now focus on the things around her, one of which happened to be the bloody boy in front of her, who was presently lifting her into a sitting position. The blood rushed to her legs, causing an extremely odd sensation, like they'd been numb for a while.

"I'm right here, Sakura. Are you alright?" the deep, soft sound radiated from the boy's lips. His voice was much calmer than it had been before, but it still sounded a bit bouncy.

"I'm..." It took the girl a moment or so to assess her condition, but eventually, she breathed, "I'm fine... I think." She watched in replenishing delight as the boy's lips formed another smile. _I like that smile_, she decided. "I... like that smile," she relayed as her own lips began to curve upward slightly.

The boy's smile turned into an all-out grin at her comment, and another kind face joined his, the one with the blue eyes she'd seen just moments earlier. Now, she had the chance to remember who the boy was. "Felix...?" she inquired, almost as more of a statement. The boy smiled and nodded, then took her arm gently. His turned his eyes to the other boy, who seemed to notice and glance back toward him. They exchanged a 'look' then both turned back to Sakura.

"Do you think you can stand up?" the amber-eyed boy asked, taking her other arm and still using one hand to support her back.

"Yeah, I think so," she affirmed. Now came the hard part: the moving of the legs. Bending them, they still felt a little numb, so putting weight on them was awkward. Syaoran and Felix helped to pull her to her feet, but the moment they eased up, her knees threatened to give out. "It feels... weird," she stated apprehensively, not just talking about the way her thigh-high boots weren't clinging to her any longer.

"You overdid it back in the cave. It's natural," the Bloody One responded. "You've been passed out for almost a day. I doubt standing up would be comfortable."

"Oh..." she muttered eloquently. The dark-haired boy at her other side suddenly began speaking, but for some reason, it sounded different. She knew what he was saying, though, realizing that it was the villagers' language after a moment or so. She caught something about Syaoran refusing to go anywhere unless he was sure she would be alright, which made a giggle form in her throat and escape her.

The other, meanwhile, wanted to know what was so funny, and Sakura choked out a hasty "Nothing," remembering that Syaoran liked to keep his "I-don't-care-about-anything" attitude and that he'd probably let go of her arm if she repeated what Felix had told her. As the feeling began to return to the bent twigs the boy called her legs, she tried to put one of them forward, but merely wound up swinging it ahead of her and dropping it.

"That was a lousy first step, Sakura," Syaoran announced cynically, watching as she almost buckled over and fell to the floor, the only thing keeping her from doing so, of course, being his and Felix's support.

"Thanks a lot, Syaoran," the girl replied, each syllable saturated with sarcasm. Both boys ended up with stupid grins on their faces as Sakura waddled her way around the room, pausing every once in a while to trip or stumble during her exploration of what seemed to be a small medical room. The entire place was made out of wood, but had plentiful lighting, mostly emanating from the open door opposite the cot she had woken up laying on with Syaoran's arms wrapped around her. Despite the circumstances, there was no one whose arms she'd rather be wrapped up in.

---------------

Sakura eventually got the hang of walking about by herself, though she would have to stay away from her boots for a while. She didn't remember much about the platform, only forming it and saying she would get them out of the cave. Everything about the power drain and passing out was hazy in her memory, and some things were just gone altogether. Upon exit of the crimson hole, they had found themselves in a barren, open meadow. Sakura had muttered something about finally being out of there for good then promptly passed out, leaving Syaoran and Felix to figure out where exactly they were.

Most of the villagers had been stunned by how light it was outside, and Syaoran was forced to tell them repeatedly not to stare at the sunlight, though he knew none of them really understood, with the exception of perhaps Felix. Afterall, Syaoran had figured, Sakura had probably taught the blue-eyed boy some of her own language while she was down there learning theirs. As they traveled around in search of some landmark or maybe food or shelter, Syaoran had taken it upon himself to carry the fainted girl, only reluctantly handing her over to Felix when his arms threatened to give way and drop her.

After a long walk and a few pep talks, they had found a small town. It slightly resembled the village from the caves in size and language (Felix and his 'mother' had made headway in conversation; with the languages being so similar, they caught on relatively quickly) but with much more modern equipment. They'd been very hospitable and took care of Sakura until she woke up, at which time Syaoran was about ready to summon her cards and use them on her.

Now, she was alright, for the most part. The villagers were getting used to the daylight and to the technology and language, but were still homeless. All the people that already lived in the town were slightly dumbfounded by the way they'd all just appeared like that, led by two teenaged boys carrying a passed out girl in a cape. Nevertheless, they were kind, and charity was high, everyone finding a place to sleep somewhere. They faked a story about being tourists who survived an accident and had no place to go and succeeded in securing temporary places of residence for most of the former villagers. Now, the only problem was...

"How do we get back to Tomoeda?" Sakura asked, as soon as she realized what the chocolate-haired boy was getting at. "I mean, we can't just stay here and live as free-loaders for the rest of our lives."

Syaoran sighed and took a sip of his java, brooding over the very same thing. "I never suggested we _stay _here. I was just hoping you might have some kind of idea." Neither of them had any money, no passport, and no connections. They might as well have been sitting ducks. "It's been a whole three days and we still have no way out of this town, let alone out of the country and across a body of water."

"Well, we could always use one of the Sta-" Syaoran abruptly cut her off by clasping a hand over her pretty little mouth.

The Chinese boy glanced around the quiet cafe before leaning in close and mumbling, "We can't mention that here. These people don't know, remember?" He sighed and removed his hand from the pouting girl's lips before continuing. "If they found out, they might reject us and throw all the villagers out of here. Then what would they do?"

"Who said they have to know? We could just disappear, afterall."

"And you don't think people would wonder?"

"Nope. Two words: Erase Card." She said each word slowly and in a low, whispery voice, still within inches of the boy's face. The way her breath cascaded down Syaoran's skin made him struggle to keep focus.

His face tightened into a grimace. "You aren't suggesting that we erase ourselves?!" he exclaimed, though still close to a whisper.

"Noooo," Sakura scoffed and rolled her eyes, acting like her solution was the most obvious one in the world. "We'll erase ourselves from the peoples' memories. That way, they won't know we've even been here."

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Alter-chan: la dee da dee da... story's almost over, folks. next chappie is the last, i'm afraid. :'(

folks: boo hoo! -_cry-_

Alter-chan: but do not fear! i will make it a doozy!

folks: ok! now get out of here so that you can start working on it and we don't have to wait 2 freakin' weeks to read it!!!

Alter-chan: OO -_runs off to work on next chapter-_

AlterEthereal


	24. New Beginning

Identity's Past

by AlterEthereal

Hey there, folks, and welcome to the very last -_sob_- installment of my fic. I encourage you all to remember that this was not only a dream to begin with, but a very _strange_ dream, at that. I do not want people complaining about things that I've included that happen to be physically impossible and/or socially unreasonable. It's just the way things worked. I would also like to thank all the people whom have reviewed so far (and those whom will review in the future, hopefully): Vi3t BaBiI, Hitaru, sapphire999, sweet-captor, tenshi cherry blossoms, orlha, Star Fighter Heart, shooting str, Sheruke, Crystal, unkown, AniMeCrAzy273, CherryBlossomYingFa, Shichinintai Jakotsu and Tramie! I wish you all a lot of luck in your in-the-works and upcoming stories, and I really hope that everyone has liked this one! Sorry it's pretty short, but enjoy anyway!

Alter-chan: ...

So: ...

Anaru: ...

Zuri: ...

Leif: ...

Althea: ...

Bob: ...

Ave: ...

Tycho: _-still locked up-_ ...

the lizard picture hanging on the outside of my door: ...

all: _-magically in sync-_ DISCLAIMER: Alter-chan hasn't owned Card Captor Sakura at all, anytime throughout this entire fic. Whatever possesses you to think that she _may possibly_ own it now ought to be dragged out into the street and shot for being so misleading. Thank you.

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Chapter 24: New Beginnings

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"So, the Erase Card, then... The Fly, maybe? Or... I've got it! The Return Card!"

"Are you sure you want to do this?" A pair of amber eyes flashed warningly through the darkness. "You may not have recovered from the incident in the caves yet, you know." Syaoran and Sakura were both decked out in as much black clothing as they could find, so as not to be seen by anyone before they wiped the slates of the peoples memories. Sakura glanced once more in the mirror, still entranced with how strange she looked in black, though she found she somewhat... liked it.

"It's the only option," she replied for the 10th time, as if it were a no-brainer. Afterall, what else were they to do? There was no other way to get back to where they belonged, and even if that place _was_ dank and dreary, they couldn't just abandon it.

The messy-haired boy sighed and nodded in defeat, casting his eyes toward the splintered, wooden floor. "This is so stupid," Sakura heard him mutter under his breath. She really did agree with him, no matter how adamant she was on using her Star Cards to get them home safely. Hell, not like it was _her_ first choice, either. She watched as Syaoran turned slowly on his heel and made his way silently out of the little makeshift hotel (which was actually a spare tool shed that had been cleaned out and fitted with cots).

She let a sigh of her own follow his and stole out the door after him. Once caught up to him, she whispered as quietly as she could while still being audible, "You know, it's not too late to think up another idea. I mean, if there's someone you could call or something-"

Sakura's words were cut off by the abrupt cease of the warrior's footsteps. She also halted as she was faced with a bitter, piercing glare. Syaoran's fiery eyes burned into her, and she almost felt the need to cower against his gaze, though she hadn't done so since childhood. She let her own worried countenance drop to the ground, only to be brought back up suddenly by the press of fingers beneath her jaw. Much to her relief, she noted that the boy's glare had softened considerably already.

"It's alright, Sakura, but I don't have anyone left. Almost everyone in the clan either left or was killed off," he muttered, allowing a melancholy expression to cross his handsome face, "including me. The only reason I'm even alive now is... you," he admitted solemnly. "That's why I was in Tomoeda to begin with."

Syaoran's glare had all but disappeared as she looked up into his stare softly. "You don't even have a home in Hong Kong anymore?" she couldn't help but inquire. _That would explain why he called my house 'home'... Dad must've offered to take him in..._ The boy's silence was the answer to her question, and all Sakura could do was wrap her arms around the weary wanderer. "Oh I'm so sorry..."

The boy returned her embrace and stroked her hair with an endearing hand. "You _are_ my home now, Sakura. You and your father and your brother." Was it just her imagination, or did Sakura feel a drop of something wet on her shoulder? _Could Syaoran be... crying?_ Suddenly, an uplifting thought crossed her mind, making her pull away slightly with a smile.

"Speaking of my brother, can't you just imagine the look on his face when he finds out about you and his little sister?"

This seemed to raise the boy's spirits a bit, and he let a finger wander to his face to wipe at his eyes. _Guess he really _was_ crying..._ "Yeah, I'll bet he'll be having kittens," he mused in a lighter tone.

Sakura turned to face the midnight air and the clear crescent moon. "Yep, and I can't wait to see it," she murmured against the night's cool breeze. Breathing in a healthy dose of the fresh air and sweeping her viridian eyes over the landscape, she entwined her fingers with Syaoran's. "Isn't it beautiful?"

The boy whispered his agreement and squeezed their laced fingers together tightly. Sakura took a moment to look back over her shoulder to give a silent farewell to the kind town and the villagers dispersed within it, in particular a big-hearted boy with sapphire eyes whom had given her joy in the midst of despair and befriended her when she was lonely.

Little did she know, her farewell was voicelessly returned by the boy whose sharpened hearing wasn't for nothing.

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While the small, Romanian village was in the depths of night, a certain dreary city was being stricken with the first rays of sunlight--or what _would've_ been sunlight if it weren't for the massive amounts of smog pouring out of the factory it housed. As it were, it more resembled a dimly colored house fire. Nevertheless, it was home to the two tired warriors just arriving near the misty lake via a bright flash of light.

"Syaoran... am I really... home for good now?" the auburn-haired girl asked somewhat shakily from within the boy's arms.

"Not quite," the Chinese youth responded. "You claim you still have power left?"

Slightly surprised, but honest, the girl replied, "Absolutely. I'm not a weak little girl anymore, Syaoran." She gave the boy a cheeky grin before settling herself against his chest and resting the pink wand she carried against his shoulder. "Why do you ask?"

Syaoran leaned in close to the girl's ear and blew a few silky strands away before answering. "Make a wish, Sakura."

What seemed like instantly the girl caught onto the boy's suggestion, letting one hand fall to her waist to draw a deck of thin, pink cards from her pocket. She began to leaf through them one by one, stopping after a few moments and plucking one out. The card sported a picture of a red heart decorated with a crown and small, white wings, and at the bottom was the phrase, "The Hope." The girl holding the card smiled serenely, as if remembering a moment of bliss.

"It already gave me one wish, and now it's time you should do the same. It's your card, afterall," Syaoran mumbled against her shoulder before adding cockily, "though you already have me. And what more could you want?"

Sakura giggled despite (or because of) the boy's comment. "I know exactly what I want."

"That's the Sakura I know," the amber-eyed boy gave the girl one last squeeze around the waist before backing up and out of her way as the Star symbol appeared beneath her feet. Flicking her wand around for what she decided would be the last time for a while, she let her hopes guide her to the activation of the card for the very first time.

_I wish things in Tomoeda would return to the way they were before I left..._

And lo and behold, the light of The Hope manifested into a beam of stellar light, encompassing and bathing the city of Tomoeda in it's grasp. Syaoran rejoined Sakura as they both shielded their eyes from the amazing spectacle and squinted to see the heart-stopping change the place was taking.

All the smog around the buildings began to dissolve and clear away, while the towers themselves began to de-rust and shine with all their former industrial glory. The factory, meanwhile, completely erupted and disappeared, revealing in it's wake the site it had been built upon: the amusement park. The ferris wheel and the roller coasters reappeared, and the scent of cherry blossoms drifted all the way out into the meadow. Some warehouses disappeared. Some small shops reappeared. Syaoran and Sakura watched as the city restored itself to the beauty it had lost over the last 5 years. And finally, the light itself faded and uncovered a brand new, beautiful city radiating with happiness and life instead of the dim, inanimate mass of fences and steel it had been only moments before.

The two teenagers stood numbly in each other's grasp, almost daring for the image before them to be false. "Syaoran... do you think its..."

"...Yeah, everything is back to normal," the warrior reassured as Sakura drifted out of his arms and took a few hesitant steps toward her home. Syaoran wasn't late to follow, and soon was directly at her side again. There was just one thing that had been nagging at him for some time now. "Eh, Sakura, back in the caves, I wondered about something: if the Star Cards are your children, does that make me their father?"

After thinking it over momentarily and an effort to ignore the randomness of the question, the girl turned her emerald eyes to him and smirked noticably. "Nah, I don't think our kids would be made of paper."

"Do you want to find out?"

Sakura's eyes went wide.

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The end.

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Alter-chan: the title of this chapter has been courteously brought to you by a lovely little band called Finch.

So: it's screamo... [a cross between 'screaming music' and 'emo'] -_shivers-_

Zuri: okay, now we have to all get together and sing Kumbaya!!

everyone else: -_looks at Zuri oddly_-__

Zuri: um, nevermind.

AlterEthereal


End file.
